


Time After Time

by H20loo



Series: The Visitors [6]
Category: Kim Possible (Cartoon)
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/F, Time Travel, Wedding Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-13
Updated: 2015-08-13
Packaged: 2018-04-14 12:57:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 69,907
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4565475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/H20loo/pseuds/H20loo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The final full-length tale in The Visitors universe. After graduating from college, Kim and Shego plan a quick, relaxing adventure before their wedding, but their search for the Tempus Simia turns out to be anything but.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Pomp and Circumstance

**Author's Note:**

> This story is set in The Visitors Universe, so if you haven't read The Visitors, Crimson and Clover, Trouble, The Haunted Mansion and Somebody's Everything (in that order), you might get a little lost. This is also a repost from FF.net

Chapter 1 – Pomp and Circumstance

Shego sat in her black robe and mortarboard praying for her kimmunicator to go off with some sort of global emergency so that she and Kimmie could get the hell out of here. At least that way they would have a good excuse for doing so and her mother wouldn't kill her. The damn thing remained silent, however, and Shego sighed with boredom as the Chair of her department droned on with her speech about how microbiology was going to change the world. As a Master's degree recipient she was up on stage with all of the other advanced-degree geeks and the faculty, so she looked out at the crowd and the undergraduates in an attempt to unbore herself, easily spotting her family, Kim's family, a passel of friends and Kimmie in her own graduation regalia waiting for her department's graduation that was happening a little later in the day.

The sight of Kim beaming proudly brought a reluctant smile to her face and her bad mood borne of boredom began to dissipate. In spite of her better efforts to remain grumpy, a smiling Kim always snapped her out her funks, and today was no exception. With a wryly-resigned smile, she started to pay attention to her own ceremony, clapping politely when the Chair finally finished her speech, managing to look interested when the stupidest person with a microbiology degree she had ever listened to gave her student speaker speech, and even smiling graciously when her name was called and her brothers, led by Hego, made fools out of themselves.

She got her degree from her advisor and sat down, ready to tune out completely now that her part was done, but before she could start daydreaming about next week at the beach house with Kimmie, she heard a warm, proud voice in her ear. "Well done, Junior," Mim said softly, as not to startle the rest of the stage's occupants with an unseen voice. "We are both so proud of you and your accomplishments." Shego glanced over her shoulder, but Nana Mim was in stealth mode and Shego couldn't see her. "We will be with the family," Mim told her and suddenly the warm presence behind her was gone. Shego smiled.

After all of the undergraduates had come up and gotten their degree holders and a note saying their degrees were in the mail, the Chair said a few more words and the ceremony was over. Shego gladly fled the stage to join her friends and family, handing her degree over to her proud mother and father as Kim wrapped her in a congratulatory hug. "See, was that so bad, Junior?" she teased, having noted the sour look on Shego's face as she had sat up on stage.

"It got better," Shego admitted. "And it's about perfect now."

"Now that it's over?" Kim observed.

"Exactly," Shego agreed.

Kim laughed. "Well, we're not quite done yet, Sweetie," she reminded her. "I still have to graduate and then we have the party at the Mansion this afternoon."

"But I'm not on stage in a robe and stupid hat for any of that," Shego pointed out. "I have no problems celebrating your brilliance and partying with the one group of people I can stand to hang out with. Anyway, let's go; I want to plasma-zap everyone that doesn't applaud your speech."

Kim looked at her reproachfully for a couple of seconds, wanting to discourage plasma-zapping in the event that Shego wasn't kidding. When the smirk appeared and Kim knew Shego had just been joking, she smacked Shego good-naturedly and let her go, capturing her hand before rounding up the group and leading them down to the pavilion she was graduating in. She led them to their seats, stole one last kiss from Shego and then headed off to the staging area.

Kim's ceremony went off without a hitch, and Kim received her Bachelor's degree in addition to every honor that the university could think to bestow on her. She was a Possible, after all, and overachievement was coded for in her genetics. Shego amused herself by sending a few pointed stares around at the end of Kim's speech and lighting up, smirking when the applause in her section suddenly increased. After a few more speeches and the degree dispersal, the ceremony was done and the graduation celebration moved back to the Mansion.

The party, thanks to Lottie and Ann's social skills, was a great success and everyone had an excellent time. In fact, everyone had such an excellent time that Kim and Shego had a hard time getting rid of them and it wasn't until late that night that everyone finally left, and then they only did so because Kim kept assuring them that the wedding was only a month away and everyone would be able to get together again very soon.

"Thank god they're gone," Shego sighed in contentment as she sank into their comfortable bed.

"They're just happy for us, Shego," Kim said, flipping back the covers and snuggling in beside her.

"I know, and that's why I didn't start chucking people out the front door when the clock struck midnight," Shego replied, wrapping her arms around Kim.

"Bless you," Kim said wryly.

"You've known I wasn't a people person for a very long time, Pink," Shego retorted. "I like it better when it is just us."

"Yeah, but you've gotten better about being with people, so I think you had ulterior reasons for wanting them to leave," Kim answered, noting that Shego's hands appeared to be wandering.

"Me?" Shego asked innocently, even as her hands succeeded in removing Kim's tank top.

"Yes, you, Madame Innocence," Kim replied, trying not to give in to the gentle kisses that Shego was placing along her back. She had something she wanted to talk to Shego about, and if they got started, that would be the end of meaningful conversation until they woke up in the morning. She flipped over and before Shego could resume her gentle seduction, Kim put out her hands to keep her temporarily at bay. Shego pouted and tried to come closer, but Kim remained steadfast even as the lip crept out even further. "I just wanted to talk about next week, Sweetie," she explained, seeing the questioning look on Shego's face at her continued refusal.

Shego relaxed; she'd had a fleeting, irrational thought that Kim was pissed at her about something. "Okay," Shego answered. "What about it?"

"Well, I was thinking we could change our plans a bit," Kim said hesitantly, knowing how much Shego liked the beach house. "It's been forever since we had an adventure and I was hoping maybe we could check out that journal that Aunt Mim and Aunt Sheila gave us that one year for Christmas."

"Forever since we had an adventure?" Shego questioned. "We had a mission just last week."

"Yeah, I know, but that was a global emergency thing," Kim replied. "And we've so busy with school, that's the only type of mission we have had time for. I was thinking we could just have an adventure for fun, you know, just the two of us, and I've been dying to follow that map for four years."

Shego looked at Kim dubiously. "You would trade a week of comfort and oceanic beauty for an unknown amount of time in a tent, outdoors, in a jungle teeming with heaven knows what?" she clarified.

"Oh, we would only be gone for a week," Kim assured her. "If we stayed away any long than that with the wedding so close, both of our moms would kill us." Shego still looked unconvinced. "And yes, it's a tent, but the jungle is beautiful, too, and it's a tent with just the two of us in it," she offered hopefully.

Shego sighed. That hopeful look had been her downfall for the entire time she had been with Kim. "All right," she agreed reluctantly and smiled back wryly when she was rewarded with Kim's radiant smile. She drew Kim close now that they seemed to be done talking, and Kim's arms went around her. The next thing she knew, her pajama top went whizzing through the air and Kim's lips had captured her own. Maybe a week in the jungle wouldn't be such a bad thing, she thought before her mind was distracted by more worthwhile pursuits.

Then again, maybe it could suck something awful, she thought as four days later she found herself in central Africa frying and then launching yet another giant insect from off of her shoulder. The map had been less than specific and if hadn't been for Nana Mim's journal, they probably would have spent their week aimlessly wandering around the jungle before heading home without a damn thing. As it was, even with her help they had still made a couple of wrong turns and only now did they find themselves to be in the right general area. Shego scowled, pouting. All of this might have been worth it if the sex had at least been good, but they had been so exhausted by the end of their days in the jungle that they hadn't actually had any. "I knew we should have gone to the beach house," she grumbled under her breath.

"What was that, Junior?" Kim asked cheerfully as she used her machete to whack down another set of thick vines. Shego didn't answer, so Kim turned back to look at her, and Shego was unsurprised to see a great big smile on her face. Kimmie really liked crap like this and she was enjoying the hell out of herself. It made Shego feel guilty that she wasn't enjoying it more.

"Eh, nothing, Pink," she said quickly.

"Bullcrap," Kim said succinctly, and Shego, always amused by Kim's attempts at swearing, cracked a grin.

"You are damned adorable when you try to swear, you know that, right?" she asked teasingly.

"Quit trying to change the subject," Kim ordered, blushing slightly. "What did you say?"

"I might have said that we should have gone to the beach house instead of coming here," Shego confessed after Kim pinned her with a glare.

"Why?" Kim asked. "This place is gorgeous. Why is the beach house so much better?"

"Because it is clean, has indoor plumbing and I don't have to take on enormous insects?" Shego answered.

"Well, sure, but where is the adventure?" Kim challenged cheerfully. "I love the beach house too, but all we ever do there is eat, sleep, swim and have sex."

"And what's wrong with that?" Shego countered.

"It's boring," Kim said candidly before realizing that what she had said could be misconstrued.

And misconstrued it was. "So sex with me is boring, is it?" Shego accused, coming to the exact wrong conclusion that Kim knew she would.

"I didn't say that," Kim objected.

"But that's what you meant," Shego retorted.

"No, it isn't," Kim disagreed. "I like to be busy, Shego, and you know that. I don't relax well and the beach house is all about relaxing. I guess I just get bored if we're there too long."

"Oh, I see," Shego replied. "The sex isn't boring. Just being with me is boring."

"Yes, being with you is so boring that I, a person who just admitted she hates boredom, agreed to spend the rest of my life with you before you even proposed," Kim countered.

"I proposed!" Shego protested.

"You showed me a ring box and I said yes before you got any words out," Kim reminded her.

The corner of Shego's mouth upturned begrudgingly. "Yeah, I guess you did," she allowed. She smirked, suddenly closing the gap between them. "Well, if you hate boredom that much, I guess I'll have to keep you better occupied when we go to the beach house," she decided, her voice low and sultry. She kissed Kim deeply as her right arm encircled Kim's waist, and Kim dropped her machete as her arms moved to reciprocate. They stayed like that for a few moments until Kim reluctantly broke it off. "We should get going, sweetie," she said, indicating the fading light.

Shego sighed; she was just beginning to enjoy this part of the jungle. "Okay," she sulked. "Where do we go now?"

Kim studied the map for a few seconds before consulting the journal. "That way," she decided, pointing north. She grabbed her machete and started off in that direction, clearing a path. They climbed a small ridge and as they did so, a large, monkey-shaped building came into view.

"Well, congratulations, Pumpkin," Shego complimented her. "You led us to the Temple of the Constipated Monkey."

"Temple of the Tempus Simia," Kim corrected with a chuckle, even though she agreed with Shego's assessment.

"Yeah, whatever," Shego shrugged, walking towards the temple. Kim put away her machete and followed her, and after a few minutes' walk, they found themselves in the temple. "Does Nana Mim say anything about traps?" Shego asked, taking in the arches, the monkey columns, the raised platform, and the hole in the ceiling.

Kim did a quick skim. "Nope, nothing," she answered.

"There are always traps," Shego declared.

"Maybe we got lucky this time," Kim hypothesized, putting the journal back into her pack. She looked at Shego and smiled. "Besides, even if there are, we can always avoid them." She bounded up the stairs of the platform to the top, making sure to look for any trip wires, differently-colored blocks or other telltale signs of traps. She saw none, not even around the small stone monkey statue that was sitting in the middle of the column that erupted from the column. "I found what we're looking for," she called down to Shego, reaching out to touch it. As soon as her gloved fingers brushed against it, a bright flash engulfed the entire temple, and down on the floor, Shego was thrown back against the wall with a powerful force.

"Whoa," Shego commented, as she picked herself up off the floor and tried to clear her muddled head. She looked up to the platform and saw Kim lying motionless on the top. "Kim!" she yelled, her mind clearing instantly with Kim in danger. She ran up the steps, taking two or three at time and slowing down only when the prone, motionless body came into view. Her eyes widened and she skidded to a halt. "Oh, Shit," Shego breathed and finished her dash to the top.

KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK

Central Africa, April, Nineteen Hundred and Six

"Are you quite sure that we are going in the proper direction this time, Mim?" Sheila inquired, after her beloved had taken them down yet another wrong path.

"Yes, this time I am certain," Mim replied. "Once we crest the top of that ridge, we shall be able to see the temple."

"We shall see," Sheila retorted, not very confident after almost a week of tracing and retracing their paths.

"I am crushed by your lack of faith in me, Lil," Mim teased, placing her hand on her forehead in a dramatic gesture.

"I have ultimate faith in you, my love," Sheila disagreed. "It is just in your powers of navigation that I find myself doubting, especially since we have that ship to British Guiana in two weeks that we simply must catch."

"We will make the ship, Sheila," Mim assured her. "And we will thwart Lipsky in his attempt to destroy us and take over the world."

"But he has already started his journey and we are an ocean away," Sheila argued.

"From the last telegram we received from Wayne, which was but a fortnight ago, he was still trying to raise the funds to finance his trip," Mim countered. "So, even if we take the time to finish with our adventure here before making it back to the Gold Coast, we will still make it on time; I am confident in it. And even if we do not make it on time, the man is an idiot and will wander around the jungle long enough for us to catch him."

"He managed to escape from prison, Mim," Sheila pointed out. "He cannot be a complete fool."

"True, but I always have to question the intellect of a man who not only hires and retains a woman who berates and belittles him, but then falls in love with her even though it is quite obvious she despises him and she is one of those women," Mim explained, her dislike of Lipsky showing in her tones. She had only just found out that Lipsky had nursed a romantic interest in Sheila and it caused her protective jealousy to flair. "Even if he had other reasoning, such as to be some sort of cover for your Sapphic inclinations, you already had a much better-looking fiancé back in Chicago," she concluded.

"Eh, Lipksy is a fool, but I cannot blame him for falling in love with one such as I," Sheila said immodestly. "But I do find your protectiveness quite charming." Mim blushed and Sheila smirked, flipped unexpectedly and landed behind Mim, wrapping her arms around her. Mim leaned back into her and Sheila began to gently kiss the back of her neck. "So I am one of 'those women', am I?" she purred between kisses. "And what does that make you?"

"Since I have been fortunate enough to have my fingers and mouth over the entirety of that beautiful body of yours, I would say it makes me unbelievably lucky," Mim replied saucily.

Sheila chuckled. "And you say I am the wicked one," she teased. She gave Mim one last embrace and then let her go, pointing to something that was protruding out of the vegetation. "I do believe that looks like a monkey head," she mentioned.

Mim looked up. "So it does," she said happily, and took off for it. Sheila followed, and after a small stroll, they found themselves at the temple. It was of impressive design; soaring arches, imposing stone monkey columns and an etched ceiling framed a skylight in the center that illuminated a platform containing a stone column. Mim saw the stairs and went straightaway for them, reaching the top before Sheila barely had the time to enter. "It appears I have found what we are looking for," she announced, calling down to Sheila.

"Do you think that is wise?" Sheila questioned as Mim reached out to touch it.

"Of course," Mim said, still reaching. "What could possibly go wrong?" Her gloved hand grasped the bottom of the statue, and as soon as she touched it, a bright light filled the chamber and Mim fell unconscious as a powerful force knocked her backwards. She had no idea how long she was out, but when she started to come to, she felt herself being supported by a pair of very familiar arms. "Lil?" she questioned, forcing her reluctant eyes to open. She blinked to clear her blurry vision and Sheila's face swirled into view, but it looked different. Her skin was pale, extraordinarily pale, and her hair had come unraveled from its braid. "Lil? What happened to your complexion?" she asked, puzzled, reaching out to touch her cheek. "Did the blast do something to you as well?"

Shego grimaced. She'd known it had to be Nana Mim from the clothes and the hair, but if the redhead in her arms was calling her "Lil", that pretty much sealed the deal. "Um, I'm not who you think I am," she explained hesitantly. Mim studied her critically and Shego felt compelled to say more. "I'm a Sheila Goshen, but I'm not your Sheila Goshen," she clarified, knowing it made little sense and wasn't going to be easy to accept for the woman resting in her arms.

Mim frowned before sitting up and scooting away from Shego. "Then which Sheila Goshen are you?" she asked pointedly. "I was not aware that there was more than one."

"Um, I'm Sheila Miriam Goshen," Shego said.

"Your middle name is Miriam," Mim said, intrigued yet skeptical, knowing this woman could be playing her for a fool. Then again, she had known Lil's first name was Sheila, which was indicative of someone who might actually have some connection with them.

"Uh, yeah, I was named after Nana Sheila, who is your Lil and um, you, Nana Mim," Shego admitted.

"Nana Mim?" Mim echoed, incredulous of the connection this person was trying to establish. "How am I your Nana when I have no children and am still quite young?"

"Um, well, I think this time monkey thing blasted you into the future, so it is a lot later than you think it is," Shego answered. "What year was it for you?"

"Nineteen Hundred and Six," Mim replied.

"Yeah, well, it is like ninety years later," Shego informed her. Mim looked at her in disbelief. "Yeah, I know," Shego responded. "But anyway, the reason that I call you 'Nana' is because you and Nana Sheila are my great-great aunts and I used to spend all of my summers until I was seven at your house in Middleton."

Mim looked at her and then down at the body of the monkey statue that she still held in her hands. She stared at it. Could it actually have propelled her into the future, she wondered. "Ninety years?" she clarified, looking at Shego.

"Give or take," Shego answered.

Mim looked back down at the statue and continued to stare at it, thinking. Besides her resemblance to Sheila and her knowledge of a few pertinent facts, the person sitting beside her really had no tangible claim to being someone she could trust, and there was no way Mim could verify anything she was saying unless she left the temple with her. If she was some sort of miscreant, that might be exactly what she was after. But then again, if she was telling the truth, and it had been nine decades or more since she had been here with Lil and she was in fact a Goshen from a subsequent generation who had known her from infancy, then there was no reason to fear, and this pale-skinned version of Lil was probably her best chance of getting back to the time and the person to whom she belonged. Undecided, Mim let out a short breath of frustration.

Shego saw the indecision and suspicion in Mim's eyes, and even though she knew this was not really her Nana Mim, it hurt to see those emotions on a face that had never been anything but loving, indulgent and amused when directed towards her. After a moment's reflection, she shook off her guttural response and got down to the business of making Nana Mim trust her so they could get busy fixing this fucked-up mess. "Listen," she said, causing Mim to look up. "I know you have no reason to trust me. I could be exactly who I say I am, or I could be lying through my teeth for whatever nefarious plot I have in mind." Mim's brow contracted. The young lady was really not helping her case. "But," Shego continued, "I am asking you, as one of only two people I have ever really listened to in my entire life, to please believe me and to let me help you get back to where you belong."

If the young lady was lying, she was doing an excellent job of it, Mim mused. She thought a couple of seconds more and her decision was made. She might live to regret it, but then again, perhaps she would get her Lil back and have an adventure to boot. "Very well, I believe you," she said calmly.

Shego blinked. "Really?" she asked, happily incredulous.

"Really," Mim confirmed. "So, has much changed since my time?" she asked, getting up and putting the statue in her satchel.

"Uh, yeah, a lot," Shego said, getting up as well. "I can start telling you on the way home if you like."

"Home? My home?" Mim questioned.

"Yup, the Mansion," Shego confirmed. "You guys willed it to me and my fiancé and we live there now. It's also our base of operations, so I'm thinking that if we can get back there, we might figure out a way to get you back. And truthfully, I really want to get out of this stupid jungle."

"As do I," Mim agreed. Shego nodded, and they went down the stairs together. "So what shall I call you?" Mim asked as they were descending. "Sheila?"

Shego winced. "Uh, please no," she pleaded. "I prefer Shego. But, truthfully, coming from you, anything but Junior is going to sound weird."

"Junior?" Mim repeated, unsure she had heard right.

"Yup. It's a long story," Shego said shortly.

"Hm," Mim commented.

They left the temple and Shego activated her kimmunicator. "Could you send the hovercraft, Nerdlinger?" she requested when his face appeared. "Some stuff has happened and I don't want to go traipsing through the jungle to find it."

"Sure thing, Shego," Wade said pleasantly before noticing her face. "Everything all right?"

"No," Shego said tersely. "I'll explain when we get home."

"Gotcha," Wade replied, knowing not to ask any more questions. "The hovercraft should be there in about thirty minutes. Bye, Shego."

Shego looked up to find Mim looking at her curiously. "Were you speaking with someone with your watch?" she asked.

"Um, yeah," Shego affirmed. "One of those changes I mentioned." She smirked, a thought coming to her. The kimmunicator might be a way to prove to a probably still-skeptical Nana Mim that she was telling the truth about this whole future thing. "Would you like to see how it works?" she offered.

"Yes, please," Mim said immediately.

Shego came around to stand beside Mim and popped the clasp so she could hold the kimmunicator in her hand and they could both see it. She pushed a button, and after a few seconds, Wade's face popped up on the screen. "Hey Shego," he answered pleasantly. "Need something else?"

"Yeah," Shego said. "I need you to say hi to someone," she said, handing the kimmunicator to Mim.

Mim took it gingerly and looked at the small screen, her eyes widening when she saw the face. "Wayne?" she asked in pleased disbelief.

"Um, no," Wade replied, slightly bewildered. "I'm Wade."

Shego peered over Mim's shoulder. "Mim Possible, meet Wade Load, Wayne's grandnephew. Wade Load, meet Mim Possible."

"Pleased to meet you, ma'am," Wade said politely, hoping Shego planned on telling him exactly what the hell was going on at some point.

"And I am pleased to make your acquaintance as well," Mim replied, a mystified smile emerging as she pondered the impossibility of what she was doing.

Shego gently took the kimmunicator from her. "Thanks, Wade," she said, looking into the screen. "We'll be back in Middleton in a few hours and we'll fill you in on some stuff."

"You'd better," Wade retorted. "Bye, Shego."

Shego smiled and switched the transmission off before replacing the kimmunicator on her wrist. "Was Mr. Load in Middleton?" Mim asked unexpectedly.

"He was," Shego confirmed.

"And yet you can contact each other from anywhere in the world using nothing but that small device on your wrist," Mim further questioned.

"We sure can," Shego replied.

"And would it be possible for me to get one?" Mim inquired casually, and with that innocent, yet not-so-innocent inquiry, Shego knew that Nana Mim was really starting to believe her and the Possible love-of-unexpected-adventure switch had been flipped on.

"Um, sure, we have an extra one in the hovercraft," Shego said agreeably.

"Hovercraft?" Mim asked.

"A flying machine that is going to take us home," Shego explained.

"You have them refined to the point that they are useful?" Mim asked excitedly. "The Wright brothers got their contraption off of the ground two or so years back, but it only flew a few feet."

"Yeah, they are kinda sophisticated now," Shego said.

"Smashing," Mim commented, and Shego had the sneaking suspicion that was the early 20th century equivalent of "spanking". They sat on the ground outside the temple and for a while they fell into silence. Then Mim had something that occurred to her and the silence was broken. "You mentioned that you were living at our Mansion with a fiancé," she said, starting the conversation. "Did he accompany you on this adventure?"

"Yes, she did," Shego said with a smirk.

Mim processed that information. "Ah, I see," she answered with an understanding smile. "And where might she be?"

"Well, since she is a Possible, meaning you guys have the damndest luck at getting into 'situations', my guess is that you two switched places," Shego hypothesized.

Mim's face lit up with a smile. "You are marrying a Possible?" she asked, delighted.

"Yes, and you had a lot to do with that," Shego admitted wryly. "My Possible's name is Kim."

"Probably after my mother," Mim murmured. She noticed Shego's slightly pouty expression at the mention of her absent fiancé. "Do not be sad, er, Junior," Mim comforted her, hesitating slightly on the name. "I miss Lil too, but we will get them back."

"We'd better," Shego agreed. "We're getting married in less than a month and my mother has been planning the wedding for about five years." Mim chuckled.

KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK

Central Africa, April, Nineteen Hundred and Six

Sheila shook her head, thinking that she must have stuck her head harder against the stone column than she realized if she was seeing what she was seeing. Mim had disappeared, and she had been replaced by a woman that looked nearly identical to her. If it had not been for the loose hair and the clothes, Sheila would never have suspected that this woman was not her wife. The woman on the platform stirred and Sheila took a step back, unsure of what she might do.

Kim sighed and sat up, noticing Shego had come up to the top of the platform. She looked at her and smiled, only to have the smile fade from her face as she realized the person standing beside her wasn't Shego. She took in the black pants, the white blouse, the hair and more importantly, the pink skin. "Oh, crap," she thought. "Um, what year is this?" she asked, looking down at the stone monkey head in her lap, hypothesizing something, and wanting to see if her hypothesis was correct.

"Nineteen Hundred and Six," Sheila answered cautiously. "Why do you ask? What year should it be?"

"Two Thousand and Eight," Kim answered slowly.

"Are you claiming to be from the future?" Sheila inquired, haughtily dubious.

"Not claiming. I am from the future," Kim said shortly, a little peeved at the tone. "This is the Temple of the Tempus Simia, remember. As in Time Monkey. As in probably sent me back and sent Aunt Mim forward."

"Aunt Mim?"Sheila echoed, surprised that this so-called future person knew Mim's name. "You know my wife?"

"Of course," Kim replied. "She's my great-great aunt." She flipped up off of the ground and dusted off her hands, offering her right one to Sheila. "I'm Kim Possible, and it's a pleasure to meet you for a second time, Aunt Sheila," she said respectfully, but with the slightest bit of sass in her tone.

Sheila studied her. This person looked like Mim, she moved like Mim, and her attitude was uncannily Mim-like; perhaps then it was possible that she was a Possible, especially since she had known her name. Sheila took Kim's hand with a speculative frown and shook it. "We shall see if you are truly who you say you are," she said, her trepidation very slowly dissipating as she began to believe Kim's story. "But for now I think I have no choice but to trust you. Do you really believe that Mim has been sent into the future?" she asked.

"It's the best theory I've got," Kim replied. "I'll take any other explanations if you might have any."

"And I have none, so I suppose that will have to do for now," Sheila mused. "Well, future Possible, what shall we do to get the both of you returned to whence you came?"

"I have no idea," Kim admitted frankly. "But we have to find a way."


	2. Sign o' the Times

Chapter 2 – Sign o' the Times

Shego kicked the ground in frustration, wondering exactly when the hell the stupid hovercraft was supposed to get there. She was about to page Wade when a low hum alerted her to the craft's imminent arrival. "Here she comes," she said to Mim, who was also growing a little impatient.

Mim looked up, wanting to see this winged marvel for herself, only to stare in puzzlement as a rounded, wingless craft descended through the trees and landed gently on the ground. "Is that the flying machine?" she asked dubiously.

"Yeah," Shego confirmed, a little puzzled at the puzzlement. "It flew in here, didn't it?"

"But it has no wings," Mim said in consternation. "How can it fly without wings?"

"It doesn't need them," Shego replied as she used her kimmunicator to open the door. "It gets its thrust from a combination of compressed air, repulsion technology and engines in the back."

Mim frowned, obviously thinking. "But how does the repulsion technology generate enough force to overcome gravity? And wouldn't the unevenness of any terrain you are passing over negate any beneficial effects of using compressed air? If you are flying, compressed air would do you no good because it has nothing to push off of," she said, trying to figure out the mechanics.

Shego looked at her speculatively. Those were really good questions, especially from someone who was a writer by profession and who came from a time when flight was just becoming possible. Shego had known Nana Mim was smart, but she hadn't realized she was quite that smart. She was going to have to make sure she knew what she was talking about or Nana Mim was going to hand over her ass on a platter. "The compressed air is for low-level flying and flying over water," Shego explained. "How the repulsion crap works, I have no idea." Mim nodded, satisfied with that. "Shall we?" Shego asked, when the gangplank had descended.

Mim's face lit up and she nodded enthusiastically. "But of course," she said happily, stepping hesitantly at first, but then quickening her pace and bounding up the gangplank. Shego looked at her, shook her head and followed her into the craft, unsurprised to find Nana Mim peering interestedly at a bank of controls on the aft side by the time she got there. "And what might I accomplish if I pushed this?" Mim inquired, indicating the red button.

"You would dump all of our fuel," Shego answered.

"Then perhaps I should let it alone," Mim decided.

"It might help," Shego agreed. "Listen, Nana Mim, I know you are really excited, but could you just do me a huge favor and sit in this chair?" she pleaded, indicating the co-pilot's chair. "I promise I will explain stuff as we go."

Mim considered her offer. "That sounds agreeable," she said, coming over and sitting in the seat.

Shego sighed in relief and sat down in the pilot's chair. She flipped a couple of switches and the hum of the engine grew a little louder. Satisfied, she buckled up and turned to ask Nana Mim to do the same. "You'll want to buckle up, Nana Mim," she said, indicating the straps. "These go around you and the metal pieces snap together."

Mim gathered the straps and clicked them together. "And what purpose do these serve?" she asked.

"They keep you in your seat in case we run into any trouble," Shego replied, flipping a couple more switches.

"Like inclement weather?" Mim guessed.

"Yeah, or bad piloting," Shego quipped. Mim looked at her, unsure if she were joking. "I got my first flight lesson when I was five and I was trained by two of the best pilots that ever lived," Shego informed her with a grin. "So relax, I was joking."

"I had rather assumed that," Mim said tersely, embarrassed that it appeared she had no sense of humor.

Shego glanced over at her and smirked. "You gave me my first flight lesson, you know," she said conversationally.

"You are jesting," Mim said with a dubious smile.

"No, I'm not," Shego countered lightly. "And after I went up with you, I wouldn't shut up about it, so my mom started giving me weekly lessons so I would quit pestering her."

"Your mother is a pilot as well?" Mim asked, surprised.

"One of the best," Shego said proudly. "But you trained her, so what else would you expect? You had a flight school for years, and every woman pilot wanted to learn from you. You only held classes every so often, though, so space was tight and only the best got in. I guess Kimmie and I were lucky that her grandma and my mom were some of the best."

"Why?" Mim questioned.

"Because your school introduced my mom to my dad and Kimmie's grandma to her grandpa," Shego said wryly.

Mim chuckled. "Then yes, you were quite fortunate," she agreed. "When are we going to get aloft?" she asked, changing the subject in the hopes of actually going somewhere.

"We've been flying for ten minutes," Shego said impishly.

"Scamp," Mim scolded before eagerly looking at the window. She couldn't see much because of the encroaching darkness, but then again, they were clipping along at such a brisk pace that Mim doubted she would be able to see much of anything anyway. After a couple of hours, a field of twinkling lights came into view.

"We are almost here," Shego said.

"And where is here?" Mim asked.

"Lagos, Nigeria," Shego replied.

"I thought we were going home," Mim said.

"It would take way too long in this," Shego responded. "We need something faster."

"Faster," Mim repeated, wondering what that might entail considering how speedy their current craft already was.

"Yup, faster," Shego confirmed, as the airport came into sight. She flew the hovercraft over to one of the more secluded runways and set it down in front of a large building. "We're here," she announced, unfastening her restraints. Mim followed suit, and Shego opened the door for them. She was halfway to the door when she remembered something, and turning around, she sat back in the pilot's chair and unlatched a small compartment. She grabbed the extra kimmunicator within and handed it to Mim. "Here you go," she said. "I almost forgot to give you this."

"Thank you," Mim said, taking it and placing it around her wrist. It gleamed and Mim looked over it in delight. "This is smashing," she said happily.

"Well, if you actually want to use it, push this button," she offered, showing her the top one on the right hand side. "It will cause Wade to pop up. When he does, tell him we need him to find out everything he can about the Tempus Simia."

"You wish for me to speak with him?" Mim inquired incredulously.

"Yeah, why not?" Shego shrugged. "He's a nice guy."

"I just thought there might be a protocol to follow," Mim explained.

"Yeah, it's called 'push the button and talk to Wade'," Shego said sardonically. "That's our protocol."

Mim looked at Shego as she left. It was odd, but this young lady's propensity for the witty rejoinder was so similar to Lil's that, though it should make her uncomfortable, it made Mim feel right at home. She smiled, shook her head and pushed the button Shego had indicated. "Hey Shego, what can I do…" Wade's voice trailed off as he realized he wasn't talking to Shego. "Um, hi, Miss Possible," he said haltingly. "What can I do for you?"

"First off, you can call me Mim, if it pleases you," Mim said pleasantly.

Wade blinked, then smiled. "Okay, Mim," he said. "What can I do for you?"

"Junior has requested all the information you can find on the Tempus Simia," Mim told him.

"Already started the search," he said smugly. "Info is a little hard to come by, though, so I'll have to get back to you in a couple of hours."

"That sounds wonderful," Mim responded. "Thank you ever so much, Mr. Load."

Wade raised an eyebrow at her. "I'm supposed to call you Mim, but I'm 'Mr. Load'?" he asked pointedly.

"Wade," Mim hastily amended.

"That's better," Wade said, satisfied. "Talk to you later, Mim."

"Good-bye, Wade," Mim said, and watched as the screen went blank.

"What did Wade have to say?" Shego asked as she popped her head in from the outside.

"He has already started the search, but it will take him some time," Mim replied.

"Well, time we've got," Shego observed. "Anyway, the jet is ready, so I need to get you ready, if you'll follow me." Mim nodded and followed her out of the hovercraft. Shego had opened the door behind them to reveal another aircraft and Mim was interested to note that this one had wings. "This is our newest jet," Shego said, looking up and sighing in admiration. "Kimmie's cousin is in the military and she gave it to us as a graduation/wedding gift."

"They let women serve in the Armed Forces?" Mim asked, shocked.

"Um, yeah, they do," Shego replied, Nana Mim's shock a reminder that, modern as she seemed, Nana Mim did come from a very different time.

"As well they should," Mim stated. "I could never understand why those damn fools in charge could never understand that a woman can love and want to serve her country just as much as a man."

Shego noted the mild curse and smirked. "Well, eventually they came around," she said. "And when we got in, we haven't looked back."

"Good," Mim stated.

Shego smiled. "Anyway, back to my beautiful plane," she said, changing the subject back. "It has three laser cannons, two rocket launchers and a turbo-charged engine that pushes us through the sky at Mach 5."

"I am afraid you have lost me," Mim replied, unable to keep up with all of the jargon.

"It can blow stuff to kingdom come and it is really, really fast," Shego said more simply.

"How fast?" Mim asked.

"Five times faster than sound," Shego answered, the pride evident in her voice. "We'll be back in Middleton in two hours."

"Truly?" Mim inquired skeptically.

"Yup," Shego confirmed.

"Then what precisely are we waiting for?" Mim asked with a grin. Shego smirked.

After Mim had put on a flight suit and Shego had made sure she was properly restrained and comfortable in the back seat, Shego climbed into the front seat and strapped in. She fired up the engines and let the jet warm for a few minutes before she eased it out of the hangar. She positioned the jet over the hovercraft and flipped a switch, causing clamps to descend from the bottom of the jet and clamp on to specially-designed grooves in the hovercraft. She snapped the switch the other way and the clamps retracted, bringing the hovercraft with it. When the hovercraft was snugly nestled in its cubbie on the bottom, she put the switch in the resting position and guided the jet further out onto the runway. "Hold on," she radioed Mim, hoping Nana Mim was a fairly sturdy soul. Supersonic speeds could be tough on the body and digestive system.

They arrived in Middleton about two hours later, and Shego was relieved that there had been only silence in the jet and no issues to speak of. The silence might have been due to the fact that she had not unintentionally neglected to teach Nana Mim how to use the radio, but from the wide grin on Nana Mim's face, it was apparent she had enjoyed the hell out of herself and there were no issues she had needed the radio for. "That was exhilarating!" Mim said, practically jumping out of the plane after she had undone her restraints. "You simply must teach me how to fly this contraption."

Shego's eyebrow rose. The person who had instilled the love of flight in her had just asked for flight lessons because Shego had instilled a love of flight in her. Shego grimaced; freaky time paradoxical shit she could really do without because she and Nana Mim had enough to worry about as it was. "Um, yeah. We'll talk about lessons later," she demurred.

"'Tis a promise, then," Mim said happily as she climbed out of the plane. Shego shook her head and climbed down, circling the plane for one final check as Nana Mim got to the ground. Satisfied, she activated the security, ushered Nana Mim out the door, and closed the latch behind them. She got her car keys out of her pocket and clicked the button, causing the Mustang's lights to flicker as the doors unlocked. Mim stared at it curiously, taking in the shape and the basic design. "That is an automobile," she guessed.

"Yup," Shego said. "Did you have one?"

"Sheila had one before I met her," Mim answered. "Her family bought one of the very first, and I had a few rides in it. I did not enjoy it all that much. The ride was bumpy, the odor and noise levels quite obnoxious, and it seemed rather a lot of work for as little speed as you actually achieved."

Shego grinned as she opened the passenger side door. "If that was your experience with a car, you are in for a pleasant surprise," she promised.

"So I was hoping, especially after having seen your advanced aviation capabilities," Mim responded, quirking a grin as she sat in the passenger seat. Shego smirked as she shut the door and when it was closed, she came around to her own side. She got in and put the key in the ignition, using a flick of the wrist to start it. She peeled out of the parking lot, laughing when Mim's eyes grew wide.

"Don't tell me that you can ride in a supersonic jet and not have problems but a car scares you," she teased.

"You appear to be a better pilot than a driver," Mim retorted as Shego whizzed in and out of traffic narrowly missing cars and other obstacles in her path.

"It actually takes a lot of skill to drive the way I do," Shego countered good-naturedly. "Anyone can drive slow and carefully."

"Yes, but they will also most likely arrive at their destination alive," Mim pointed out as cars and a Middleton she didn't recognize passed by in a blur.

"Relax," Shego requested. "Life around here moves a little faster than it used to, but I know how to deal with it."

"I surely hope so," Mim replied as a yellow Beetle actually passed them.

Shego chuckled. Her stomach picked that moment to growl, and Shego realized it had been quite awhile since she had eaten anything. "You hungry?" she asked Nana Mim. "I think I am going to pick up some food."

Mim hadn't really been hungry, but now that Junior mentioned it, her stomach decided it could use a little something. "Food might be nice," she allowed.

"All right; food it is then," Shego decided. "What kind of food do you like?"

"The kind that is edible?" Mim responded dryly. "What other kind would there be?"

Shego sighed. "You know I meant what type of food you like," she said, with a hint of exasperation. "Middleton has a fair amount of stuff to choose from: Mexican, Italian, Chinese, Thai, pizza, whatever, really. I'm not picky; I'll eat anything, but I would prefer something quick so that we can get back to the Mansion."

"You choose," Mim requested. "I would have no idea of where to begin."

"Okay, fine; I'll choose," Shego acquiesced. She spotted El Hamburgesa del Rey and was preparing to turn in the parking lot when Mim spotted the Bueno Nacho taco sign.

"Is that one of those establishments that serves those taco creations?" she asked.

"Yup. You really want fake Mexican?" Shego asked doubtfully.

"Heavens no," Mim said quickly. "Jonathan had me try one at the World Expo and the experience was wholly unpleasant." She continued to look at the sign and her brow contracted, a sure sign she was still thinking about it. "Have they changed much?" she asked unexpectedly.

"What, tacos?" Shego asked. Mim nodded. "Um, I have no idea what a 1902 taco was like, Nana Mim, so I have no point of reference," Shego pointed out. "But, seeing as you look exactly like Kim when she is intrigued by something, I am going to go out on a limb and say you are curious about this whole taco thing. So rather than have you wonder, we'll just go there and put the curiosity to rest so you can relax."

"I must really meet this fiancé of yours," Mim decided after a moment's reflection on Shego's words. "It sounds like she and I must be a great deal alike."

"You have no idea," Shego muttered as she turned into the parking lot. She parked in one of the spaces and got out. Mim hesitated briefly as she figured out the door opening mechanism, but she solved it easily and joined Shego outside the car. They went inside the restaurant and Mim spent a moment looking at the garish color scheme.

"Quite subtle, aren't they?" she asked Shego wryly.

"The food is just about the same," Shego warned her.

Mim blinked but otherwise remained stoic. Junior was right; she was curious as to the state of the modern taco and this might be the only opportunity to satisfy that curiosity. "Very well. What do you recommend?" she asked.

"Well, since you have never eaten here before, how about I order a bunch of stuff and you can see what you like?" Shego suggested.

"Would that not be wasteful?" Mim questioned.

"Nope," Shego replied. "What we don't eat I'll take home to the two chowhounds at home."

"Then that seems reasonable," Mim agreed. Shego nodded and stepped up to the counter, ordering items that Mim hoped were good. The clerk gave her a total, Shego handed him some money, and he handed her a small colored square, two cups and some change in return.

"They'll have the food out in a few minutes," Shego said, pocketing the change and picking up the other items. "Let's go get something to drink." She handed Nana Mim her cup and led her over to the beverage bar. After a moment's debate, she chose diet over iced tea and filled her cup. Mim read the labels, saw a couple that she recognized and chose one, Co-Cola, that she remembered somewhat liking the one time she had it. She put a little in the cup and took a sip. The overwhelming sweetness nearly made her gag and Shego chuckled uncharitably at the disgusted face she was making. "Get iced tea, Nana Mim," she advised. Mim nodded, dumping her cup and promptly filling it with iced tea.

By the time they had gotten their drinks their food was ready, so Shego collected it and they went to go sit at a table. Mim sat down and studied the food carefully as she prepared to proceed with her experimentation. At last she took the food that was recognizable to her, the taco, and after unwrapping it, took a bite.

Her expression remained the same as she chewed and Shego was impressed. She was expecting something akin to the soda outburst. Instead, Nana Mim took her time and actually tasted it before swallowing and didn't grab for her tea until several moments after she had swallowed it. After it was gone, she turned to Shego. "With the vast improvements I have seen since I came here I was expecting that to be better than when I last tasted it," she said. Shego smirked, waiting for the "but", and the smirk grew into a full smile when it came. "But that was actually worse than I remembered. Is that concoction actually supposed to bear a resemblance to food?" she inquired, her distaste finally showing on her face.

"It's barely food," Shego admitted. She handed Mim a chicken burrito. "Here," she said. "This is the closest thing to food they have here. It actually has recognizable chicken and vegetables in it."

Mim took it warily and unwrapped it, looking at it suspiciously before taking a small bite. Her eyebrows rose as she realized it was actually okay. "This is much better," she said in relief. "Thank you, Junior."

"No problem, Nana Mim," Shego said graciously. She grabbed the other edible thing, the cheese quesadilla, and ate it as Mim finished her burrito. After they had both finished, she grabbed a bag from the guy behind the counter and stuffed the remaining food, Nana Mim's abandoned taco, some Nacos and some taquitos, into it. "Ready to go, Nana Mim?" she asked.

"Quite," Mim agreed, her stomach a little queasy from the unfamiliar food. They went back to the car and within a few minutes they were at the Mansion. Mim climbed out of the car and looked at it, a smile coming automatically to her face. It had been a long while since she had been home; she and Sheila had been traveling for quite some time, and though she wished it were under better circumstances, it was good to be home. She looked around, noting the few differences and many similarities from when she last saw it. "It has not changed much," she noted.

"It was a museum for a long time," Shego explained. "And they wanted to keep it just like it had been when you lived here. It was only after I moved to Middleton to be with Kimmie that it became a house again and we started to change a few things."

"As well you should," Mim stated. "It is your house. It does not need to be a perpetual shrine to us."

"True, especially since we don't need a shrine to remember you guys," Shego said.

"Because we were that memorable?" Mim asked.

"No," Shego answered, putting the key in the lock and opening the door. "Because you guys haunt the house and we see the both of you at least once a month." Mim's eyes grew wide and she tried to think of a response, but nothing came to mind and she meekly followed Shego into the house. After she was inside, she came to a little and turned to ask Shego for clarification, only to be distracted by what appeared to be a leopard bounding her way.

Anna stopped short. This person wasn't her human, or so her nose was telling her. She sniffed again, just to make sure, and the result was the same, meaning this person was a stranger. She bared her teeth and prepared to attack.

"Stand down, Anna," Shego ordered, and the clouded leopard reluctantly took her eyes off Mim to look at Shego. "I know it's not Mommy, but she's still a friend." Anna looked unconvinced, but after giving Mim one more look of warning, she slowly relaxed. Mim breathed a sigh of relief as the wild animal calmed down and Shego spoke. "Sorry about that, Nana Mim," she apologized. "She's Kimmie's leopard and she thought you were Kimmie. She was a little peeved when you weren't."

"So I see," Mim said. She looked at the cat that was still keeping an eye on her even as Shego gave her the rest of Mim's taco. "Anna? Is that her name?"

"Yeah," Shego replied. "Anna IV, technically, but we just call her Anna."

"So you have had others," Mim surmised.

"You guys started it," Shego retorted with a smirk. "You brought a pair of clouded leopards back after you visited Thailand the first time and they've been in the family ever since."

"Thailand?" Mim questioned.

"Um, Siam," Shego clarified.

"Ah," Mim responded. "So there have been three other Annas?"

"Yeah, along with five Ramas," Shego answered and that reminded her of something. "Chula!" she yelled. "Come out and say hi." At her yell, a furious squeaking started from the other end of the hallway and within a few moments a clouded leopard cub came barreling out into the living room to squeak at Shego. She laughed and picked him up. "Hey there, Chula," she said affectionately. She turned the cub to face Mim. "Nana Mim, meet Rama V, aka Chula."

"Chula as in Chulalongkorn, the common name of the Siamese Rama V?"Mim asked, figuring it made sense if these cats came from Siam.

Shego stopped playing with her leopard cub long enough to look at Mim in mild disbelief. Just when she thought she might have to explain something non future-related, she found out Nana Mim had already figured it out. Damn Possible genes, she thought. "Um, yeah," she said after a moment's pause. "His great-granddaddy that passed away last year, Rama IV, was the one and only Rama for Kim and me, so his name is Chula."

Mim noticed the sadness in her tone. "I am sorry for your loss," she said sincerely. "Did you have Rama long?"

"For most of my life," Shego replied, looking pensively at Chula before a grin broke out. "But now we have you to deal with, don't we?" she teased the cub, scratching his belly and making him purr before his youthful rambunctiousness forced Shego to put him down. He looked briefly at Mim, but then decided his mother was more interesting and went to pounce on Anna. "Let's go into the living room, Nana Mim," Shego suggested and Mim nodded agreeably.

Being the wife of a photographer, the first things Mim saw as she entered were the pictures, and they drew her over to get a better look. She was somewhat surprised to see that there were several pictures of her and Sheila scattered about; she would have thought they would have been supplanted by more modern ones by now, but they were still here, cohabitating peacefully with pictures more recent. She smiled at the one or two she recognized and looked at the others with interest, her curiosity searching for a photograph of the woman she had apparently switched places with. She found one soon enough, and she took it down from the mantel, a small, bemused smile coming to her face as she realized that the resemblance was as uncanny between she and this stranger as it was between Lil and Junior. She turned to Shego who had made herself comfortable on the couch while indulgently allowing Mim to explore. "Is this your Kim?" she asked, handing the frame to Shego.

Shego smiled. "Yup, that's her," she confirmed, handing it back. "Scary, isn't it?"

"A little unnerving, yes," Mim admitted, returning to the fireplace mantel and replacing the picture. She continued her perusal and moved towards the right. Her survey finished, she was about to sit down when her satchel unexpectedly moved. Mim jumped in alarm, causing Shego to abandon her place on the couch and come over. Just as she got there, the bag moved again and Mim hurriedly took it off her shoulder. She opened it and peered in, studying the contents briefly before retrieving the headless monkey statue. As she held it, it suddenly clapped, alerting them both as to what had caused the motion.

"I think it's time to see if Wade found anything," Shego decided. She activated her kimmunicator and Wade's face popped up. "We have a headless monkey statue clapping the living room," she informed him, getting right to the point. "Why in the hell is it doing that?"

Wade paused, taken aback by Shego's abruptness as well as the comical absurdity of she what had said, but then he shook it off and got down to business with a small grin on his face. "I think that means that you're near the head. It should start clapping more rapidly the closer you get," he answered.

"You 'think' and it 'should'," Shego repeated, unused to hearing qualifiers from Wade. He always had a line on the best information with the most reliable sources and he was never unsure about anything.

"Yeah, I know," Wade replied. "I usually have better information from this. But there isn't a whole lot on the Tempus Simia out there and what I could find still thinks that the head and the body haven't been together for like over a thousand years."

"Which we know is not the case," Mim interjected.

"Well, it wasn't, but now it is," Shego pointed out. "And since it is Kimmie running around back there now, I doubt that they made any kind of scientific announcement that they had found anything, meaning the info Wade is finding is probably the info you had in the way back."

"Which wasn't much," Mim said. "We had little more than the map."

Shego scowled. "Well, thanks for what you did find, Wade," she said grumpily.

"Not a problem, Shego," Wade said. "And there is one more thing: I also managed to find out that when you find the head, it has to be put on at noon."

"Noon," Shego echoed. "Local or Africa time?" she asked, irritated at the seemingly random requirement.

"No idea," Wade confessed. "Maybe try it at whatever noon comes first and if that doesn't work, try it at the other one?"

"The precision of this endeavor is quite breathtaking," Mim quipped with a small smirk.

Shego said nothing but shot her a look. "Well, we'll try to figure it out," she told Wade. "We'll talk to you later."

"Bye, Shego. Bye, Mim," Wade said and the communication ended.

After he disappeared, Shego looked at Mim. "I guess now we see if we can get this thing to clap," she decided. "And by the way, sarcasm is my department."

"Getting it to clap sounds excellent," Mim agreed. "And I would not fear, Junior; I have no intention of usurping your sarcastic authority. I just have to maintain my practice."

The sly grin that Mim was sporting told Shego everything she needed to know about that last statement, but she let the subject drop. She took the statue from Mim and held it up towards the fireplace. It rewarded them with a clap, and as Shego started to move to her right toward the hallway, it clapped twice. Encouraged, Shego continued to move toward her right, but this apparently was the wrong direction and the monkey stopped clapping. Shego sighed in frustration, looked at Mim and started to head back towards the left, only to be stopped by the sound of the most beautiful voice in the world. "Instead of following a clapping monkey, you could just ask us where we hid it," Kim suggested wryly.

Shego whipped around, the monkey almost completely forgotten as she looked for Kim and completely forgotten once she found her. She absentmindedly put the monkey statue down on a table and walked over to Kim, her mind trying to process the sight of her Kimmie floating beside Nana Sheila. "How did this happen, Princess?" she asked softly, as the ghostly Nana Sheila floated over to the living Nana Mim.

"I died, Shego," Kim said sardonically.

"Well, no shit, Pink," Shego shot back, Kim's wry tone snapping her out of her daze. "I wasn't asking why you were a ghost. I was asking how you became Nana Mim's ghost."

"Well, I switched places with her," Kim answered. "And since there was no way for us to put the monkey back together, I was stuck in the past. I had to live her life and hope that if we got the head back to you, you two would be able to put the monkey back together and fix all of this." She reached out a ghostly hand to touch Shego's cheek and Shego shivered at its chill. "I've missed you so much, Shego," she said softly. "I wanted so badly tell you who I was but I couldn't, not until you left with me and came back with Aunt Mim."

"Wait," Shego said, stepping back. "Have you been pretending to be Nana Mim for my entire life?"

"No," Kim said quickly. "The memories you have are of the real Mim, not me pretending to be her, but that's because you are from my reality. The Shego from this reality is the one I had to pretend to be Nana Mim for. Everything in this reality had to be as close to ours as I could make it, so that the you and I of this reality would meet, get together, follow the map and find the monkey. That was the only way I could get back to you and to our reality."

It was damn convoluted, but it did actually make some sense, Shego decided. But there was one thing that bothered her. "But how could the you and I from this reality find the monkey? It shouldn't exist."

"It shouldn't," Kim agreed. "But the fact that you are here proves that the separate realities managed to converge. So now Aunt Mim exists again and there's only one of me."

"I think I have a headache, Pumpkin," Shego sighed. "But it makes some weird-ass kind of sense." She looked at her floating fiancé. "So now if we put the stupid monkey back together and get back to 1906, we can switch everyone back and fix everything so you don't have to pretend to be Nana Mim for 102 years and we can get married, right? Because I don't wanna marry Nana Mim. That's just creepy and weird."

"Not any weirder than pretending to be married to a woman who is the closest approximation to the woman you do want to marry," Kim countered.

"True," Shego conceded after a moment's though. "So where's the monkey head?"

"Behind the fireplace in the tunnel on the right," Kim answered.

"How can it be behind the fireplace?" Shego asked.

"Secret tunnels, doy," Kim replied dismissively. "This house is full of them."

"It is not. Those tunnels are just one of those stupid urban legends about this place," Shego protested.

"Like it being haunted?" Kim asked pointedly.

Shego opened her mouth to retort and then closed it. "Right," she said. "Where's the secret lever?"

"Third book to the right on the fourth shelf of the bookcase," Kim said.

Shego looked at her doubtfully, but shrugged and walked over to the bookcase, pulling the book that Kim told her. The fireplace gave a groan and swung outward, revealing the presence of two tunnels behind it. "Well, I'll be damned," Shego breathed. She grabbed the abandoned headless monkey statue from the table and went down the right one, unsurprised when it started clapping at a quickened pace. She passed a small alcove and the clapping stopped, prompting her to go back to the alcove. There was a small box sitting in it, and she put down the statue so she could grab it. A small stone monkey head grinned at her when she opened it, and she grinned back, closing the lid, grabbing the statue and making her way back out of the tunnel. "Found it," she announced, causing Kim to smile and Nana Mim and Nana Sheila to finally concede there were in fact other people in the room.

"That is excellent, Junior," Sheila said, reluctantly turning away from Mim. "Shall we put it back on?"

Shego looked at the clock and grimaced. "We can't," she said regretfully. "Wade says It has to go back on at noon, and it's only 4PM. He didn't know if it was noon local time or African time, but it doesn't really matter. Since the temple is nine hours ahead of us, we can try at 3AM and if that doesn't work, we can try noon local time."

"Meaning we have eleven hours to wait," Kim said.

"Yup," Shego answered.

"Then perhaps someone would like to give me a tour of the changes that you have made to the Mansion?" Mim asked hopefully.

"Of course," Sheila said promptly, preempting any other offers with a glare.

"Um, I think I need to do something upstairs, right, Pumpkin?" Shego said hurriedly.

"Oh, yeah, you totally do," Kim agreed quickly. "In fact, I'll join you because you have so much to do."

Sheila smirked as they scampered and floated up the staircase. Mim laughed and for the first time in a very long while, Sheila smiled and actually felt like smiling. "You do not know how much I have missed you, Mim," she said softly.

"I should never have touched that statue," Mim said regretfully.

"But you had to, otherwise you would not be you," Sheila said indulgently. She looked up the stairs to where Shego had disappeared. "Junior is a good person, Mim," she said. "And you should trust her. She does have the tendency to be sarcastic and cranky, but she will do anything for the people she loves."

"I have already seen the sarcasm," Mim said wryly. "She would give you a run for your money. And as far as the other, it is obvious she loves her Kim. I would say they rival us in the depth of their affections."

"No one can rival us," Sheila disagreed with a mock frown before breaking out into a smile. "But you are right; Junior and Kim are quite attached." She looked around and smiled. "So, shall I give you the tour I promised?"

"That would be lovely," Mim answered and together they left through the kitchen into the backyard.

Evening came as the tour was winding down, and after a quick dinner for the two living, it was decided that some sleep might be in order. Shego went upstairs to bed down on her favorite couch in the parlor and Mim claimed one of the couches downstairs. Their ghosts followed them, both spirits reluctant to have their beloveds out of their sight for any length of time, and both of them watched quietly until it was time to wake them.

"Wha?" Shego asked as a cold hand gently shook her awake.

"It's almost time, Shego," Kim explained.

"Oh," Shego answered. She yawned and sat up, stretching a little bit before she got off the couch. "I would have enjoyed it more if you could have joined me," she said petulantly.

"I wanted to join you," Kim admitted. "But I just would have made you cold."

"Never," Shego declared. "You know you light my fire, baby," she said impishly, lighting up briefly to demonstrate.

Kim laughed. "Then put the head back on that monkey and come get me," she challenged good-naturedly.

"As you wish, my lady," Shego said, bowing. Kim shook her head and together they went down the stairs to find Mim and Sheila waiting for them.

They gathered up the statue parts and got Wade and his atomic clock on the kimmunicator so he could tell them exactly when to put the head on. He initiated a countdown and when he hit zero, Shego gently put the head back on the body. At first nothing happened, and they all sighed, thinking they were going to have to wait nine more hours. But then the eyes started glowing red and a circle of light surrounded the statue and expanded to encompass the living room. After a few seconds, it disappeared, and Shego picked up the now-whole statue.

"Okay," she said. "I think it's fixed. Now how in the hell do we use it?" The other three looked at her and shrugged. She looked at her wrist. "Any suggestions, Wade?" she asked.

"Nope," Wade said, shaking his head.

"You're all a lot of help," Shego grumbled. She looked at the statue. "Fuck it," she stated. "When did you get to the temple?" she asked Mim and Sheila.

"April 14th, 1906," Mim answered.

"Okay, then listen, statue thingy," she ordered. "I want to go to your temple on April 14th 1906." They waited and much to everyone's amazement, a red spiral vortex opened up behind them. "Well, what the hell do you know," Shego muttered. "Ready to go, Nana Mim?" she asked.

"Of course," Mim said, sharing a whispered "I love you" with her wife before stepping away from Sheila toward the portal.

Kim stepped up and kissed Shego. "Come and get me, Junior," she repeated.

Shego licked her cold, tingling lips. "No way I wouldn't, Princess. You promised to love me forever and I'm not letting you out of that," she stated with a grin. Kim smiled back and Shego turned towards the portal. She looked at Nana Mim; they nodded at one another and stepped through into the vortex.

Shego had no idea what to expect when time traveling, but the trip through the vortex ended up only being a couple of tumbles before she was deposited on the other side. Mim followed soon after and they both sat on the ground for a few moments trying to get their bearings.

Mim looked up. "It looks like a temple," she noted as the weak sunlight spilled in and illuminated the glistening white marble.

"It's not the right temple," Shego decided, realizing it looked nothing like the temple of the Tempus Simia. She glared at the statue. "Stupid monkey," she grumbled. She got up and Mim did the same. "Well, what now?" she asked Mim. "That obviously didn't work."

"We did at least travel through time," Mim said optimistically. "Maybe you just need to be more explicit with your request."

"Worth a try, I guess," Shego replied. She opened her mouth to talk to the statue, but then shut it when she felt something pointy and presumably sharp in her lower back. She glanced beside her at Mim, who almost imperceptibly shrugged and indicated that she was in the same predicament. Shego nodded and with minimal movement handed the statue to Mim. Just as carefully and stealthily, Mim put it in her satchel, and when it was secure, she nodded at Shego. Shego nodded back and together they turned around with their hands up, only to be met with lethal-looking spears. "Shit," Shego commented.

"Indeed," Mim agreed.


	3. When in Rome

Chapter 3 – When in Rome

Shego frowned as one of the Roman-looking spear holders shouted something at her. She had no idea what he was saying, but he was quite obviously ordering her to do something, and she didn't take orders from anyone unless they were redheaded and had either changed her diaper or were planning to marry her. The shouting got more pronounced, and the frown grew into a scowl. She was just about ready to pounce when Nana Mim murmured something.

"The soldier is asking why we are in the temple," she said quietly.

"You understand him?" Shego murmured back, surprised.

"Of course," Mim answered, her voice still low. "He is speaking Latin." She sighed. "Although I am much better at understanding it than at actually speaking it. I rarely had the opportunity to practice because very few spoke it, and my studies suffered. If I attempted to speak it, I would fear my pronunciation would be quite appalling," she said regretfully, her dismay at her perceived inadequacy apparent.

"Um, yeah," Shego said, rolling her eyes. "You are obviously so uneducated that you can translate a pretty much not-spoken-anymore language into decent English in a matter of seconds. And I am sure if you tried to talk to the guy, he would barely understand you because you don't know the subtle nuances of how to pronounce the e."

Mim glared at her. "There is no need to be sarcastic," she said haughtily.

"Well, there's no need for false modesty, either," Shego countered. "Anyway, don't sweat it, Nana Mim. If the guy is speaking a known language, Wade's taken care of it for us. Push the top right button and the lower left button on your kimmunicator." Mim did as she was told and suddenly, the Latin was transformed into English.

"State why you are in this temple," he ordered.

"How in the world can a device translate spoken language instantaneously?" Mim asked quietly.

"Hell if I know," Shego shrugged. "Wade got the idea from one of his nerd shows and he found a way to make it work. Just a warning, though; when the translator is active, it goes both ways. Those guys can now understand what you're saying."

"Excellent," Mim replied. "Then maybe we can accomplish something and I do not have to embarrass myself by speaking Latin." She stepped forward, causing the soldiers to tighten the grip on their spears. Mim saw the motion and decided to speak quickly so she did not get impaled. "We meant no offense by entering this temple; we are but travelers looking for shelter," she said respectfully.

To Mim's relief, the spears didn't flinch, but they didn't exactly lower either. She paused, thinking of what to do or say next when an order barked from the back made the spears come down instantly. Another soldier, this one a commander by the look of his uniform and decorations, came striding through the crowd. He observed Mim briefly, and without warning, knelt at her feet. "My lady, please forgive the ignorance of my men; they were not aware of who you were," he said apologetically.

Mim glanced back at Shego, perplexed. Shego shook her head slightly. "All is well," she said hesitantly, unsure of what else to say.

The soldier saluted and rose to his feet. It was only then that he noticed Shego standing behind Mim. His eyes grew cold and his face grew stony. "I thank you for your care of our lady, Your Grace, but we will escort the lady from here," he said, his acrimony barely concealed.

"Like hell you will," Shego said promptly, not liking the attitude one bit even if she had no idea what the fuck was going on. She took a step toward Mim and the commander grabbed a spear from the nearest man, knowing that would be faster than drawing his sword. He stepped between Mim and Shego and thrust the spear towards Shego. She let the spearhead slip past her and then grabbed the wooden shaft. The centurion pulled back, but Shego didn't budge, and his eyes grew wide when he realized her strength. Shego yanked forward and pulled the spear from his grasp. She looked at it, gave an evil smirk and lit up her right hand, causing the shaft to ignite. She took her left hand, lit that one as well and grabbed the spearhead. Within a few moments, she cast the molten metal to the ground at the commander's feet. "She doesn't go anywhere without me; you got that, Broomhead?" she said menacingly as she deactivated her powers.

Mim looked at her in frank shock for a few moments before coming to herself. Without any change in expression, she politely stepped around the shocked soldier and stood beside Shego. Figuring that the translator could be turned off like it was turned on, she pushed the buttons on her wrist device and was pleased when it read "Translator Deactivated". She then turned to Shego and asked a question that Shego was completely not anticipating. "Does Lil know of this special talent of yours?" she asked, her face thoughtful but otherwise emotionless.

"Um, yeah?" Shego admitted tentatively, grateful that Nana Mim didn't seem frightened of or pissed at her.

Mim frowned slightly. "Then there will be recompense when we catch up with them," she said decidedly. "So," she said primly, "before I reactivate this device and make him privy to our discussion so we can confirm where and when we are, are there any other abilities that I perhaps should know about?"

"Um, I'm really strong and I survive things that should kill other people," Shego said hurriedly, not liking the chiding look Nana Mim was giving her. "Am I in deep trouble?" she asked sheepishly.

"Of course not, but it would have been nice to know," Mim admonished and pushed the buttons on her kimmunicator. She turned to the completely baffled soldier, who by the look of him, appeared to be a centurion. "Now then, what is the date?" she asked crisply.

"The 14th day of Aprilis, the sixth month in the 19th year of our lord, Emperor Dracus Maximus," answered politely, even as he became sure that this was not his commander's lady.

Shego let out a frustrated breath. "Stupid monkey," she grumbled.

"So we are in the Roman Empire," Mim concluded.

"Yes, my lady," the centurion confirmed.

"And do you serve the Emperor?" Mim asked, noting that the green of his uniform was different than was classically represented.

"No, I would never serve Rome," he said tightly. "I serve Ronnicus the gladiator, leader of the rebellion. To him I have sworn my featly." He looked at Mim critically. "As have you my lady," he added.

Comprehension dawned and Mim nodded. "I am sorry for the confusion, Centurion, but I do not believe we are the people you think we are."

"As I began to suspect when that one set her hands afire," he said with just a touch of humor. "But since you are not my lady, I must take you prisoner and confiscate your belongings for trespassing in our territory," he said apologetically. He started to take the satchel from off Mim's shoulder and was stopped by a strong hand.

"Touch it or her and you will regret it," Shego promised, not caring that her actions caused her to be surrounded by angry soldiers. If he really was a centurion, there was only a hundred of them at most. She could take them.

Mim, however, wasn't nearly as confident and she preferred that she and Junior should remain in one piece. "Let him go, Junior," she requested, taking the satchel with the Tempus Simia from off her shoulder and giving it to the centurion. "We will go with them, and when we are able, we will secure our freedom." Shego gave a short sigh of frustration, but bowed to the wisdom of Mim's words and slowly let his hand go. She glowered at the centurion, but otherwise remained silent.

"Please follow me," the centurion requested politely, leading them out of the temple. His men surrounded them, and together they all marched until after an hour or two they came to what was obviously an encampment. The centurion led them to a tent, escorted them inside and disappeared. After he left, Shego took a quick look between the tent flaps and was unsurprised to see several guards stationed outside. She quickly ducked back inside.

"We could have gotten out of there," she told Mim crossly.

"Perhaps," Mim allowed. "But I would prefer that you stay living."

"Hm," Shego said noncommittally. Still pouting, she sat down on a bench and after a few moments Mim did the same. They sat in grumpy silence until several minutes later when the flap opened and the centurion appeared.

"Lord Ronnicus wishes to see you," he said. Mim and Shego looked at one another and rose, following him out of that tent to go stand in front of another. He opened the flap and indicated that they should enter. "He is waiting inside," he told them.

"Thank you," Mim replied and she and Shego entered together.

It was only the years spent in the clutches of propriety that allowed Mim to keep her face neutral as she saw the man that was seated at the table. Shego, never much one for propriety, rolled her eyes and frowned in annoyance. "You have got to be kidding me," she grumbled. "This is the great Ronnicus? A Stoppable is going to overthrow the Roman Empire?"

Mim glanced over when she heard the familiar name, and, reasoning that if she and Lil had related doppelgangers in the future, then perhaps Jon did too. "Familiar with the family, I see," she murmured.

"He's Kimmie's best friend," Shego replied quietly. She frowned, thinking. If Kimmie had a Stoppable, and Nana Mim had a Stoppable and this obvious Stoppable ancestor was named Ronnicus, then it stood to reason that he might have a Possible of his own. And she probably looked exactly like Nana Mim and Kimmie, Shego decided, which explained why the soldier thought he knew Nana Mim. Well, that was one thing explained about the situation, Shego thought. She looked at Ronnicus who was staring at the both of them with a dumbfounded look on his face. She made sure her translator was on and then stepped forward. "Hi, you must be Ronnicus," she observed. "My name is Shego and this is my, um, Aunt Miriam. We entered your territory by mistake, we don't mean you any harm and we would just really like to get our stuff back and go home."

"A likely story," a new voice cut in, and Mim and Shego turned to see a helmeted centurion enter the tent. "From what my men tell me, you melted metal with your bare hands. No mortal could do that. And now I see that what else they told me is true: you look exactly like two of the most important women in all Rome. You two are obviously some sort of trick of the gods sent here to thwart us."

"We are merely women," Mim disagreed.

"You are imposters," the centurion countered. "And you will be punished for your deception."

Shego looked at the centurion and her eyebrow rose. "Oh really," she replied. "Then what's the penalty for impersonating a soldier? Because I doubt even a rebel army would let a woman serve and you are so not a man."

The centurion froze briefly before her eyes narrowed at Shego and she slowly removed her helmet. To no one's surprise, she looked exactly like Mim. "Who are you and how do you know who I am?"

"We told you who we were and I have no idea who in the hell you are," Shego countered. "I didn't need to know who you were to know that you were a girl. Guys usually don't have actual breasts under their breastplates."

The unmasked female centurion looked down at her chest and blushed slightly before looking back up. "Few notice what is behind the armor," she admitted.

"Just like few in this time would notice what is behind the breasts," Mim observed quietly. The Roman Possible overheard and she looked at Mim. Mim gazed back and they shared a moment of understanding. Mim stepped forward. "My name is Miriam, and it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance," she said, offering an arm.

Though hesitant, the other redhead stepped up and gingerly clasped it. "I am Minerva, daughter of Timotheus, a senator of Rome." She studied Mim. "Who is your mother? Someone from Judea, perhaps?" Minerva asked after a moment's reflection. "You could be a sister to me and I have often heard tale of my father's exploits. Has one of them come back to haunt him?"

"No, I am no relation to your father," Mim replied. She took her arm back and looked at Minerva straight in the eye. "I know that you have no cause to believe us, but truly we are merely lost travelers who never intended to encroach on your territory. We would just like to collect our things and be on our way," she said truthfully.

"Your things?" Minerva questioned, and Ronnicus held up the satchel that the centurion had given him.

"Marcus said that it belonged to her," he said, indicating Mim. "I was just so distracted by the sight of two ladies that looked so much like you and Caecelius that it slipped my mind completely."

Minerva crossed the room to retrieve the bag and Shego sidled up to Mim. "Caecelius has to be me, doesn't she?" she asked.

"If everything is to form, yes," Mim agreed, as Minerva came back towards them.

"Has this been searched?" she asked Ronnicus as she crossed the room.

"I do not believe so," Ronnicus admitted. "I think Marcus was too awestruck to do much but confiscate it."

Minerva nodded. "I apologize, but we still do not know if you are friend or foe," she explained to Shego and Mim as she opened it. She pulled out a journal and set the bag on the table, opening it. Her brow knitted as she took in the unfamiliar language. "Is this your native tongue?" she asked.

"Yes," Mim replied.

"Hm," Minerva commented, but otherwise said nothing. She put the journal on the table and picked up the bag to continue her search, and this time pulled out a small monkey-shaped statue with a rounded head. Both Shego and Mim subconsciously leaned forward, and Minerva noted it. "Ah, this is the possession you want back," she declared.

"Yes, it is," Mim admitted readily.

"And why is it so important?" Minerva pressed.

"It means a great deal to us," Mim replied vaguely.

Minerva chuckled. "An excellently ambiguous answer," she said in admiration. She looked it over before striding over to Ronnicus. "Take this and conceal it," she ordered. Ronnicus saluted and left the tent with the monkey. Shego sighed and scowled, and Minerva smirked. "I did not become the commander of an army by being foolish. You have power, we need power and now I have the statuary means to harness that power."

Shego had to admire the shrewdness; she and Nana Mim had tipped their hand in regards to the monkey and now Minerva was making them pay for it. That didn't mean, however, that she wanted to stay here in ancient times. "You're right," she said sweetly. "I do have power." She lit up her hands and Minerva took a step back. "And now I am going to use that power to get my monkey back so that I can go home and get married," she stated.

Minerva looked at Shego's glowing hands in admiration before addressing the angry woman in front of her. "You will gain nothing by threatening me," she said calmly. "I will never tell and you will never find it. I will gladly give it back to you if you join us and help us win the battle that is to come."

Shego scowled, but she made no further motion and Mim decided to use the pause to act. "What is this battle that you speak of?" she asked, coming up to Shego and placing a calming hand on her back. Shego wanted to shake her off and continue her attack, but the touch was so much like Kim's that she found herself unwillingly calming down. She turned her powers off and relaxed her scowl into a simple frown.

Minerva, sensing the danger was past for now, indicated the table in the corner of the tent and they all went to sit down. "Rome is ruled by a tyrant," she told them. "There is a plan in place to overthrow him and give the throne to his more worthy heir."

"And who is this heir?" Mim asked.

"His daughter, Caecelius," Minerva replied.

The Emperor's Palace – The Day Before

Dracus Maximus, ruler of the world worth knowing, sat on his throne in his magnificent palace surrounded by all of the finery that being ruler of the world worth knowing afforded one to have. But all that mattered little now, as he scowled in anger at the report that a messenger was bringing about his campaign against the rebels that were mustering but a day's ride from his capital.

"We have suffered heavy losses, your Excellency," the messenger told him. "Young Ronnicus the Gladiator has stifled every attempt we have made to overrun his line, and our troops are being led to a slaughter. Even when we have meager successes and he suffers some losses, he recruits more and more people to his cause daily. We are outnumbered and fighting in his home territory, and the generals are doubtful that we can defeat them."

"Then they do not deserve to be called generals of Rome," a new voice declared. All eyes turned to see Caecelius, only child of Dracus, enter the room, and all eyes remained transfixed as she strode through the room to stand next to her father. She shared his jet-black hair, but otherwise there was little resemblance between the teenaged beauty and her plain-looking sire. There was also little similitude between their dispositions. Dracus was a despot, wantonly cruel to his people and selectively intelligent in ruling them. He had come to the throne with little prowess in the fighting arts and the army served him only out of loyalty to his father. Caecelius, conversely, held the respect of the men in her palace guard command, for she was a cunning warrior known for her brilliant tactical strategies. She also cared for Rome and her people, unlike her father, and most of the Roman aristocracy eagerly anticipated the day when she would succeed her father as Empress of Rome.

"Quite right," Dracus agreed. "And he who speaks for them will feel their disgrace. Kill him," he said, indicating the messenger.

"Belay that order," Caecelius ordered in a tone that brooked no disagreement. It was rumored that the Emperor himself would not countermand one of her orders if given in such a tone, and verily, he did nothing to rebuke her for her impudence, even though it should have meant death. "I may yet have use for him," she explained.

Dracus knew his daughter well enough to know that some sort of nascent plan was forming in her mind; she just had that look about her. "What is your thought, Daughter?" he asked.

"Give me a regiment of soldiers," she requested. "Let them see what a true Roman general is capable of."

"You are not a general," her father reminded her. "Your accomplishments have won you command of the palace guard, but that is all."

"Then let me prove my worthiness," she countered. "Let me take my best men, and I promise you we will crush them. I know Ronnicus of old and I know the way that he thinks. We will take him and his camp before the week is out."

"And what will such a favor cost me?' her father asked, knowing that there must be a price.

"I become a general with my own command," Caecelius replied. "And it is publicly declared before all Rome that I am your heir and successor."

"Very well," Dracus agreed. He was not conceding much; she was his only child and it had been assumed for years that she would succeed him.

"Then I will leave tonight," Caecelius declared. "You," she said, pointing to the still terrified messenger. "Come with me. I require your assistance." When he did not move, she grabbed him by the front of his tunic and dragged him to his feet. "If I have to repeat an order, it will not bode well for you," she warned. He came to his senses, and meekly followed her as she swept out of the room.

Ronnicus' Camp, approaching sunset

"And how is his kid going to be any better than he is?" Shego asked incredulously.

"She is his complete opposite," Minerva replied, unduly testy. "She is beautiful, compassionate, and she will rule Rome as it should be. There is none who is her equal."

Mim and Shego shared a look. "And precisely how long have you been in love with her?" Mim inquired casually, working off a hunch.

"Since our youth," Minerva answered before truly realizing what had been asked. She blushed.

Mim couldn't help the small smile that appeared, but she kept her tone even as not to embarrass Minerva further. "And does she return your feelings? Are you together?" she asked interestedly, her weakness for all things romantic showing through.

"That is none of your business," Minerva said coldly, her mortification at having divulged such personal and potentially damning information to a virtual stranger causing her demeanor to change instantly.

"Well, that's a yes," Shego deadpanned. "Relax, Minnie. I might want to hurt you because you took my monkey, but I need that monkey to get back to the girl I am going to marry."

"And I have a wife," Mim added.

"Besides, we already know you're a girl," Shego pointed out. "If we really wanted to screw you over, we would expose that little fun fact to people like your senator daddy or your men in this camp."

Minerva studied them critically. The dark-haired called Shego was right; they did have that on her, but somehow, she wasn't frightened. Maybe it was their resemblance to both her and Caecelius or the leverage she had over them, but for whatever reason, she trusted these women even one of them had already admitted to wanting to hurt her. It made no sense, but there it was. Her expression softened and she cracked a begrudging grin. "Telling my father would do no good," she said her natural good humor starting to reassert itself. "He knows that I am part of the rebellion and he supports my decision."

"A senator supports a rebel, even one that is his daughter?" Mim asked, intrigued.

"He abhors Dracus," Minerva explained. "And like most others in the Empire, he wishes to see his reign end and that of Caecelius begin, but he cannot publicly voice that position without risking his family, his position, his fortune and even his very life."

"So you are the secret family representative in the rebellion," Shego said.

"Exactly," Minerva replied. "And since Daddy thinks that I am here because to fulfill my marital obligation to Ronnicus, it allows me to keep my relationship with Caecelius hidden."

"Hold on," Shego interrupted. "Marital obligation?"

"He and I have been betrothed since we were four," Minerva said. "Our families are both patrician and our fathers both served in the Senate. On the surface we are an ideal match."

"But then you had to go mess everything up by falling in love with someone else," Shego teased.

Minerva blushed. "Being a senator allowed my father access to the royal court and on occasion he would take me along. It was there I met Caecelius, and she, like Ronnicus, became one of my closest friends," she explained. Her face grew pensive and she continued. "Throughout my youth I always assumed I would marry Ronnicus, but as I grew older, I slowly became aware that he was not my choice. Before I could tell him, though, his father was falsely accused of conspiring against the Emperor and was executed. Ronnicus and his family were sold into slavery, and it was then, in turning to Caecelius for comfort, that we both realized our attachment. Our bond grew stronger as we started to formulate a plan to take over Rome and became indissoluble after Dracus killed Caecelius' mother in a fit of jealous madness."

"This Dracus guy sounds like a real asshole," Shego responded.

"I would never have thought to call him that, but the description is apt," Minerva agreed.

"So how are you planning to take over the Empire?" Mim asked.

"The first steps were to solidify aristocratic and military support behind Caecelius and public support behind Ronnicus," Minerva replied. "Caecelius found Ronnicus and bought him, turning him into a gladiator. His affable nature won over the people, and after a series of rigged bouts in which he showed his, 'might', the common people began to look to him as a hero. Caecelius allowed him to escape and muster an army. In the meantime, she solidified her reputation by training with the army and eventually becoming Captain of the Palace Guard."

"And you?" Shego asked.

"Depends on which life I find myself living," Minerva replied with a wistful smile. "If I am here as a soldier in this army, I am the strategist that comes up with Ronnicus' most brilliant plans. If I am here as a woman, I am the venerated, loyal Lady of the Commander. If I am in Rome as the daughter of a Senator, then I am the staunch supporter of the Empire who is mourning the treason being committed by her life-long love."

"And who is being 'comforted' by her other life-long friend," Mim added slyly.

Minerva colored slightly, but decided to press on without comment. "Anyway, we have reached the stage where we think the coup is possible. Caecelius should be on her way here to capture Ronnicus, which if things have worked out as planned in Rome, should finally force Dracus to name her as heir. After she is named such, she will kill Dracus and assume the throne. I will become her lady-in-waiting, an appointment that will force the dissolution of my betrothal to Ronnicus. He and Caecelius will marry and Ronnicus will become emperor. He will be the public face of the Empire while Caecelius and I rule from behind the façade."

"And where do we fit in?" Shego asked reasonably. "I mean, you are holding our monkey hostage for so we can help you with a battle and you didn't even mention one."

"There will be a battle when Caecelius arrives with her men on the morrow," Minerva said reluctantly. "If she takes this camp with no battle, suspicions will be raised that Ronnicus is a traitor."

"But then people will die for no reason but appearances," Mim objected.

"There is no other way; if one or the other side capitulates too easily, then one or all of us will be exposed as traitors either to the people or to the Empire," Minerva said, her sadness at what she knew was inevitable evident on her face.

"Well, sorry to disappoint, but we aren't going to be hanging around for some bullshit, completely unnecessary battle," Shego stated firmly. "We are out of here by tomorrow morning, tops."

"You will not go anywhere until you have the statue back," Minerva disagreed, dismayed.

"Wrong," Shego disagreed shortly. She activated her kimmunicator and it started beeping. Minerva took a step back. "Hear that?" Shego questioned rhetorically. "That beeping is going to lead me straight to my monkey, and when I find it, we're leaving." She grabbed Mim's hand and headed toward the tent flap, only to stop dead in her tracks when it opened and a helmeted soldier came thundering in. The soldier saw them and paused, taking off her helmet to reveal a glowering armor-clad version of Shego. "I think Caecelius just got here," she muttered to Mim. Mim nodded.

Caecelius' eyes narrowed. So Ronnicus was not just telling one of his fantastical tales, it seemed. She drew her sword and held the point to Shego's neck. "State your intentions in my Empire or you will die," she promised with a snarl.

Shego's eyebrow rose and her mouth turned into a scowl of its own. "Well, we would have been out of your stupid Empire if your lover over there hadn't taken what was ours," she said, her temper rising to the surface. "So put that fucking thing away or you will die."

"Highly unlikely," Caecelius scoffed, bringing back the blade for a strike.

Shego knew catching the damn thing was going to hurt like hell, but she wanted to make a point. As the blade came toward her neck, she put up a hand and the edge slammed right into her palm, stopping it instantly. She wrapped her hand around it and lit up. Caecelius saw the glow and her eyes grew wide, but within seconds she had regained her composure and attempted to pull her blade back. Shego was much stronger, though, and it didn't move. Shego increased the amount of energy to the hand around the sword and smiled evilly when the blade started to turn red-hot. Caecelius held onto her sword for as long as she could, but at last the heat became unbearable and she was forced to let go. Shego took the sword and after a moment's glare at both the sword and Caecelius, threw it into the unused fire pit. "You're lucky she's here," Shego said ominously, glancing at Mim before going back over to her.

Mim gently took the hand that was now bleeding profusely. "This is bad, Junior," she said quietly in a worried tone while surreptitiously looking around for something to dress and bind the wound with.

"Nah," Shego disagreed, even as she winced in pain at the gentle touch. "It'll be alright by tomorrow."

Caecelius clutched her badly-burned hand and made an angry move toward Shego, but with quickness reminiscent, at least to Shego, of Kim, Minerva intercepted her and Caecelius calmed down. "You should not have rashly provoked her, my love," Minerva scolded gently as she examined and softly kissed the burnt hand.

"But she was in here, with you, and Ronnicus said…" Caecelius began, but Minerva cut her off.

"You are quite aware that Ronnicus is prone to exaggeration," Minerva countered. "She and her companion mean me no harm and you could have asked before you attacked."

"I suppose I could have," Caecelius admitted reluctantly. "But you know I constantly worry about your safety."

"I am well aware of that, and I thank you for it," Minerva said, kissing her gently. "But now you need to sit down so Miriam and I need to take care of our impulsive warriors."

"Miriam?" Caecelius questioned.

"At your service," Mim answered, from her side of the tent.

Caecelius looked at her and then back over at Shego. "But who are you?" she demanded.

"We will discuss that after you both have been attended to," Minerva said firmly, giving Caecelius a look. Caecelius let out a short breath but remained silent and Shego smirked. The Possible bossy genes went way back in the family tree apparently.

Minerva filled a small basin with water and after retrieving two rags, handed it all off to Mim. Mim nodded her thanks and went to look after Shego, while Minerva filled a second one for herself and went to attend Caecelius. There were a few gasps and growls of pain, but after a few minutes both dark-haired women had their hands dressed and bound, which in turn left them free to glare at one another balefully.

"So who are you?" Caecelius asked after she and Shego had their fill of trying to intimidate one another.

"We are travelers from a faraway land," Mim answered. "We were given the gift from the gods to help us travel and that idol brought us here. We had every intention of moving on, but some soldiers of Ronnicus found us, captured us and confiscated our gift. They passed it along to Ronnicus, who in turn passed it to Minerva. She is now trying to offer the return of the idol in exchange for our assistance in the battle for Rome."

"Yeah, a pointless battle," Shego interjected. "That's why we told her no."

"The battle is regrettable, yes, but it is the only way we can convince all involved that there was no collusion," Caecelius stated. "And now my love has outsmarted you and you must join us or you will never get your idol back. Do you not wish its safe return?"

"Of course we do," Shego said. "But we aren't gonna fight in a stupid pointless battle to get it. I've stolen some of the most protected and valuable treasures in the world. I can get the monkey back with or without your help or approval."

"So you are a common thief then," Caecelius said condescendingly.

"Was a thief," Shego corrected tartly. "And I was never common." Mim lifted an eyebrow and a small smile appeared. Goshen pride had obviously made its way down to future generations.

"A thief nonetheless," Caecelius sniffed. Shego scowled and went to get up, but Mim held onto her arm and made her stay.

"Leave it be, Junior," she said firmly and Shego settled back down.

Caecelius chuckled at her acquiescence, only to receive a glare from Minerva. "You will start being courteous to our visitors or you are sleeping with Ronnicus tonight," she warned, and the smirk devolved into a pout. She took a deep breath to settle her thoughts and spoke. "I do not wish to have a battle tomorrow, nor do I wish to force you to help us," she admitted. "The only reason that I am keeping you here is the hope that you will be able to shorten the battle."

Mim's brow knitted and Shego's eyebrow rose. She knew that look; that was the look that usually said that, in about two seconds, some brilliant plan that was going to emerge that would get their asses out of a sling. "If we could circumvent a war, yet still make everything go to plan, would you give us our idol back?" Mim asked thoughtfully.

"Of course," Minerva said promptly.

Mim turned to Caecelius. "Is your father pious?" she asked. "Does he respect the gods?"

"No, my father respects no one," Caecelius answered, shaking her head. "The only person that he ever listened to was my mother, but he murdered her."

Mim smiled. "That could work just as well," she said happily. "Does he regret her murder? Do you look anything like your mother?" she asked.

"Yes, to both, or so I have been told," Caecelius answered, wondering where this was going.

"Perfect," Mim said, her smile growing wider. "We are going to get Dracus to make you heir without having to capture Ronnicus," she declared, surprising the others. "That will negate the need to have an unnecessary war to make his capture seem plausible."

"We have tried; all of our efforts have been futile," Minerva said.

"But I wager that you did not threaten him with the enraged spirit of the only person that ever meant anything to him," Mim countered, the smile still on her face. "This is my idea," she began. "We will go back to Rome and sneak into the palace. We will dress, um, Shego as Caecelius' mother and she can surprise Dracus while he slumbers. Using a combination of verbal persuasion and her fire-making ability, she terrifies the life out of Dracus and compels him to name Caecelius heir."

Minerva smiled. This plan had promise. "It is well-known that Dracus is a coward," she said.

Caecelius was less convinced. "Do you really think my father will listen to a ghost? Even one that can produce fire?" she asked Minerva incredulously.

"Perhaps not," Minerva allowed. "But I think we should at least try. If it fails, then we can revert back to the old plan. But if it succeeds…" Her voice trailed off and she looked hopefully at Caecelius.

Caecelius sighed. "Very well," she said. Minerva rewarded her with a smile and Caecelius smiled back. She looked at the other two. "We leave for Rome at midnight," she said, and after giving Minerva one last kiss, she put her helmet back on and swept out of the tent. Shego made a rude and mocking salute at her departure, and sighed when Mim glared at her.

They passed the few hours remaining before their departure grabbing some food, chatting with Minerva about inconsequential things and getting outfitted in soldiers' uniforms. After she was ready to go, Shego moved around some and grimaced. "What is the matter, Junior?" Mim asked, rather enjoying wearing the uniform herself.

"Do you know how long it has been since I wore a skirt this short?" Shego said uncomfortably. "I don't like skirts anyway and this one is particularly breezy." Mim tried to come up with something sympathetic, but instead just managed to giggle. "Thanks for the support, Nana Mim," Shego muttered crossly. Mim laughed harder.

Midnight came and with it Caecelius, and the four of them put on their face-obscuring helmets stole out of the camp. A few miles down the road, they met up with Caecelius' men, and after she had introduced them as defectors from Ronnicus' camp, they all climbed up on their waiting horses and took off for Rome.

They reached the city as dawn was approaching and they made the barracks within minutes. They dismounted and Caecelius ordered her men to take care of the horses and then report back here the following evening. They saluted and left, and when they were gone, Minerva quickly changed her clothing to turn from a soldier back into her aristocratic persona. When she was done, Caecelius took her arm and the other two fell into step behind them. They entered the palace with little fanfare and Caecelius took them to what used to be her mother's apartment.

Minerva spent a few minutes gathering up clothing, makeup and jewelry before she ordered Shego to strip. Wryly thankful she was wearing underwear, Shego shrugged and did as she was told and Minerva proceeded to turn her into a gorgeous Roman queen. Mim's eyes widened; Junior was really quite lovely, and dressed up like this, she reminded Mim more than ever of Sheila. Mim gave a small sigh, thinking, and Shego noticed the melancholy. "What's up, Nana Mim?" she asked.

"I am missing Sheila," Mim admitted. "And I am sorry that your Kim is not able to see you like this."

"We'll get them back," Shego promised. "And if you want to give Kimmie something to look at, dig out the small, square metal thing in the leg pocket of my pants."

Mim did as she was told and brought it over. "What is this?" she asked.

"Technically a telephone, but it also takes pictures," Shego said and Mim looked at her dubiously. "Honest," Shego promised and flipped it open. She activated the camera and showed Mim the capture button. "Look at the screen, get whatever angle you want and then push the button," she explained.

Mim tentatively did as she was told, and smiled wonderingly when a beautiful picture of Shego popped up. "That is most definitely spanking," she said in admiration.

"Yeah, it is," Shego agreed and Mim smiled as she put the phone back. Shego noticed Minerva was idle. "Are we ready?" Shego asked her.

"Not quite," Minerva said, her wild curiosity about what the metal square was and what had just had transpired between the visitors making her pause. She decided it was best left alone and continued to work. Within a few minutes she was done and Shego turned to the one person who could tell them if they were on the right track.

"Well?" she asked Caecelius.

Caecelius took in the flowing white tunic, the arm clasps, the kohl around the eyes and the aristocratic face. "You are almost a perfect match," she admitted reluctantly. "But my mother had hair the color of straw. I got my dark locks from my father."

"Shit," Shego cursed. "Don't you think you could have mentioned that earlier?"

Caecelius' temper started to flare and she stepped forward, but Minerva got in between the two of them. "I already realized that her hair color would be a problem," she said calmly. "But she is supposed to be a spirit, so there is a solution." She pulled out a sack that she had scavenged. She dumped the contents over Shego's head and flour cascaded through her hair, changing them from dark green to whitish grey.

"That is excellent," Mim commented. "She looks quite ghostly."

"I concur," Minerva said. She glanced out the window. "The sun is beginning to rise. We have to act quickly." The other three nodded.

The Emperor's quarters were thankfully close to the queen's and the four of them were able to enter the antechamber without being spotted. Caecelius wordlessly indicated that the other three should hide, and when they were concealed, she opened the door to the main chamber and strode to her men that were guarding the door to the Emperor's inner chamber. They stood at attention as soon as they realized her presence. "I need to speak with my father in private," she stated. "Please remove yourselves to the entrance to the antechamber." The guards saluted and followed her orders without question, their loyalty to their commander far greater than their loyalty to the Emperor. She followed them back out to the antechamber, and after the door had shut, she signaled her companions to follow. They did, and the four of them went into the Emperor's inner chamber. Caecelius, Minerva and Mim hid, while Shego stood at the end of the bed, took a deep breath and began the show.

"Dracus Maximus!" Shego bellowed in her most authoritative voice. The figure in the bed stirred but then settled back down to sleep. Shego sighed and tried again. "Dracus Maximus!" she bellowed louder, and this time the figure actually woke up.

"What?" Dracus challenged, blinking and sitting up. "Who dares to wake the Emperor in such a fashion?"

Shego got a look at the face and she mentally rolled her eyes. It figured Dracus would be a dead ringer for Drakken. She just hoped he was as big of a coward. "I do," she said menacingly.

"But who are…no, it cannot be," Dracus stammered, the blood draining from his features when he saw her face.

"Why, because you murdered me in cold blood?" Shego snarled. She swept around the edge of the bed and Dracus cowered away from her, scrambling for the other side. Her evil smirk appeared and she flipped herself to the other side so that he backed right into her.

He yelped in fear and cried out for his guards. "Guards! Help! I am being menaced!" he shouted.

"They are not here to help you, you pathetic coward," Shego spat. She grabbed him by the neck with her uninjured hand and bodily lifted him up with her one arm. He struggled, but the grip tightened.

"W-why are you here?" he gasped, trying to take in a breath.

"Because the time of your rule has come to an end," Shego said forebodingly. She lit up the hand that wasn't holding onto Dracus, and his motions became more frantic as he realized that her hand was engulfed in green flame and that flame was now heading towards him.

"Please, no," he pleaded, as he felt the heat come closer and closer to his face. "Please have mercy."

"For the man who showed none? There is no justice in that," Shego scoffed as her grip cut off his windpipe and her flame grew closer.

"Please, I will do anything!" he choked out.

"Anything?" Shego responded, relaxing her grip ever so slightly.

"Anything!" Dracus confirmed.

"It is too late for that," Shego said ominously. "Your reign must end."

"Then I will give up the throne!" Dracus said desperately. "Anything! Just let me live."

"You would abdicate?" Shego clarified, lowering him to make him think she was thinking it over and also to give her tired arm a rest.

"Yes!" Dracus swore. "And I will put anyone on the throne that you wish!"

Shego studied him, careful not to let her smirk show. "You will make my daughter Caecelius empress," she said after letting him sweat it out for a few moments more. "And you will do it before the sun sets or you will not live to see another dawn."

"Of course! Anything!" Dracus said gratefully.

Shego extinguished her hand and let him drop back down to his bed. "By sunset," she reiterated and turned to leave. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Dracus scramble to the middle of his bed and cower, so she decided to give him one last scare. She stopped at the end of the bed and lit herself up completely. It was just light, not heat because Shego didn't want to set fire to her non fire-resistant clothes, but it did the trick. Dracus let out a squawk and dove under his covers. Shego smirked and used the opportunity to leave.

The other three quickly followed and once in they were in the antechamber, all but Caecelius hid. Caecelius called her men back in, and they resumed their post just in time for Dracus to come flying frantically out of his bedroom. He barely acknowledged the guards' presence as he ran for the exit to his quarters and he never noticed the four women slip out of his quarters as he ran yelling down the hallway. The four of them went back to the queen's quarters and Shego happily exchanged her finery for her Team Possible uniform.

"Okay, we did our part," Shego said, after she was ready to go. "Give us our monkey back."

"I do not have it," Minerva lied innocently. "It is still at the camp."

"You didn't bring it?" Shego asked in exasperation.

"She brought it," Mim cut in, before Shego got testy. "But she and I agreed that she should not give it back to us until we were sure Dracus would be true to his word. That way there is less temptation for us to use it before the endeavor is actually finished."

Shego looked at her and sighed. She wanted to be pissed, but Mim was right; they had to make sure the weasel kept his word. "Okay, fine," she said resignedly. "But I wish you would have told me that I had to put the skirt on again." Mim smiled her thanks.

About an hour word came through the palace that a special session of the Senate had been called and about an hour after that, Shego and Mim found themselves "protecting" Minerva as she sat in the gallery. Still looking terrified, Dracus dispensed with any kind of a speech and instead came right out with the information that he was abdicating the throne of the Empire. As the shockwave rippled around the chamber, he called Caecelius up, set the imperial crown on her head and knelt at her feet, leaving no question who he had chosen to be the next ruler of Rome. The rest of the chamber then followed his suit and knelt before their new Empress.

After bidding everyone to rise, Caecelius gave a short speech accepting the throne and then dismissed the assembly, causing the chamber to dissolve into chaos. Minerva, Mim and Shego took this opportunity to leave. When they were someplace relatively quiet and private, Minerva reached under her robes and withdrew Mim's satchel, handing it to Shego with a smile. Shego took it and peeked inside, relieved to see not only the Tempus Simia, but also their regular clothes. "I cannot thank you for everything that you have done for us and Rome," she said gratefully.

"Eh, it wasn't much," Shego said modestly. "And you were holding our monkey hostage."

"But I thought you could retrieve it at any time," Minerva said.

"Um, that was kind of a bluff," Shego admitted, and Minerva laughed.

"I had better get back to her," she said, indicating Caecelius. She took Mim's arm and clasped it. "Good-bye, Miriam," she said.

Mim clasped it back and then pulled her into a hug. "Be well, Minerva," she said.

Their embrace ended and Minerva turned to Shego. "Good-bye, Shego," she said with a small smirk.

"Have fun running Rome," Shego said with a smirk and after one last smile, Minerva waded through the chaos to find Caecelius.

Shego reached into the satchel and with a sigh of relief pulled out the Tempus Simia. "Ready to go?" she asked Mim.

"Absolutely," Mim agreed, before realizing what they were still wearing. "Do you think we should change first?" she asked.

"Nah," Shego replied. "We'll change when we get there."

"Where is there?" Mim asked, as a thought occurred to her.

"Huh?" Shego responded. "Don't we want to go to Africa?"

"Yes," Mim agreed. "But perhaps we should go back to future Middleton briefly to see if Wade has found anything more about the Tempus Simia, for example, how to work it properly."

Shego considered that. "That's not a bad idea," she decided. "Okay, stupid monkey, we want to go back to where we just came from: Middleton, May 15th, 2008." A red spiral vortex opened up behind them and after a moment's hesitation, they both walked through it. They tumbled through to the other side and found themselves in a thick forest that looked nothing like Middleton. "Stupid monkey," Shego grumbled.

"Have you ever considered that if you did not refer to it as a 'stupid monkey', it might be more amenable to sending us where we want to go?" Mim inquired pointedly.

"Fine, you try it," Shego said irritably, tossing it to her.

Mim caught it and took a breath to speak, only to be interrupted by another voice.

"Halt!" the male voice commanded.

Shego sighed. "I wonder if Kimmie and Nana Sheila are having this much fun," she muttered.


	4. Africa

Chapter 4 – Africa

Central Africa, April, Nineteen Hundred and Six

Kim sat on the ground in frustration, her shoulders slumping as another hour of searching proved to be fruitless. In spite of her and Aunt Sheila's better efforts, they were getting nowhere. Three days has passed since she and Aunt Mim had been switched, and all she and Aunt Sheila had to show for their hard work were two leaf-shaped pieces of stone that had been burned beyond recognition. Aunt Sheila had wanted to discard them, but Kim had held onto them, a hunch telling her that they might be important. She took them out of her pocket and examined them, willing them to mean something, but they just laid there in her palm. She sighed and put them back.

From her vantage point in the temple, Sheila silently watched the young lady who claimed to be a Possible from the future. After three days of working with her, Sheila was almost thoroughly convinced that she was indeed a Possible. All of the traits were there: the blushing, the unfettered optimism, the effortless good cheer, the lightning-quick intelligence and reflexes, as well as the never-ending stream of friendly chatter. Within minutes, it seemed, Sheila had learned all about the young lady's personal history, which included her fiancée, a young lady who was also a Goshen and looked very much like Sheila herself. The future part of the young lady's story she was not so sure about, but if she were being truthful about the rest of it, it stood to reason she was being truthful about that too. There was just one element of her personality that was lacking for Sheila to be completely convinced, and she had been trying for three days to eke it out of Kim with little success. Now, though, with Kim's downcast mood obvious, she might at last be able to see what she wanted to see, so she decided to start her attack anew. "Why in the world are you still holding fast to those worthless pieces of rock?" she said dismissively, as she sat down beside Kim. "I sincerely doubt they can be good for anything."

"Maybe," Kim allowed, noting the haughty tone she had been putting up with for the last three days. "But I am going to keep them regardless." Sheila said nothing, but her expression showed her smug disapproval. Kim, her nerves frayed by the lack of Shego, the reality of being in a different time period and the constant barrage of snoot that was coming from Aunt Sheila, wanted to retort, but she managed to control it and instead just let out a short, quiet sigh.

"I cannot believe your good spirits have abandoned you this quickly," Sheila noted with a disappointed tone.

"My spirits are just fine," Kim retorted, her hesitation borne of politeness and respect coming to an end. "It's the company that's putting a damper on things."

Sheila stopped cold and she turned to glare at Kim. "How dare you speak to me in such a fashion?" she demanded.

"Until we manage to figure something out or you come down off of that sky-high horse you're on, I'll speak to you in any darn fashion that I see fit," Kim retorted. "I knew you were proud, and I knew Aunt Mim had a big hand in curbing that, but I didn't know she had managed to turn the world's biggest snob into someone who could pass for a polite human being." She snorted in frustration and stomped off into the jungle. She sat down on a convenient log and began to collect her scattered thoughts. One part of her was still angry and irritated at Sheila, another part of her was shocked that she had spoken to someone like that, while still another part demanded that she march back to the temple and fix this mess so that she could get back to Shego.

The thought of Shego brought a wry, yet wistful smile to her face. Maybe being with the queen of the tart rejoinder for the last four and a half years had rubbed off on her more than she had realized, she thought. And without her sweetie here to do the honors, well, apparently her mind and mouth had decided to take over. That thought scared her just a little.

The bushes rustled and Sheila emerged from them. Kim was surprised to notice that she looked uncomfortable and almost contrite. She sat down on the log and looked down on the ground before inhaling and looking up at Kim. "You do realize that only one other person has ever spoken to me like that?" she asked, a small smile playing at her lips.

Kim's eyebrow lifted as she realized that Sheila wasn't angry with her. "Oh really," she answered speculatively.

"I have been waiting for three days to see some of Mim's fire in you," Sheila admitted. "It was the only way I could be somewhat sure that you were who you said who you were."

"You were purposely baiting me?" Kim asked incredulously.

"Yes," Sheila replied, before reconsidering her answer at Kim's glare. "Well, not entirely. That was not my intent in the beginning. But you apparently have a much large tolerance for arrogance, and it took much more effort to make you angry than it would have for Mim. Mim is rather intolerant of arrogance."

Kim chuckled, her mood lifting slightly. "Yeah, I would believe that of Aunt Mim," she agreed. "And, just for the record, so am I. It was only the fact that I have nothing but respect for you that made me last this long."

"Noted," Sheila said, with a smile. She offered her hand. "I do apologize that I have been such a societal harpy for the last three days," she apologized. "I do hope you can forgive my rudeness."

"Sure, if you can forgive me mine," Kim said amiably, taking it.

"Of course," Sheila said. She looked around. "Shall we get back to our search then?" she inquired.

"We should, but I think I'm going to take a break," Kim replied. "I want to look at the map a little bit more.

"Seems a reasonable course of action," Sheila said.

Kim nodded and pulled the map out of her satchel, studying every detail in the hopes of finding out something important. Sheila pulled out her copy and did the same. Kim noticed and smiled. "So when did you receive your map?" she asked conversationally.

"My mother Lillian gave it to us for our first Christmas as a committed pair," Sheila answered, looking up from the ancient scroll. "She said it seemed just like the type of adventure that suited the both of us. I was inclined to agree, until my beloved ended up several decades in the future." Kim chuckled softly. "Why do you ask?" Sheila questioned. "When did you and your Shego get your map?"

"No real reason for asking," Kim readily admitted. "I was just curious and it seemed a good way to start a conversation." Sheila grinned wryly. "But to answer your question, we got it for our first Christmas as a couple and you, well, you and Aunt Mim, were the ones to give it to us."

That got an outright laugh out of Sheila. "I really should have surmised as such," she replied merrily before her face grew thoughtful. "But I do wonder why we should do such a thing," she said musingly. "We would have been past this point in our history and we should have known that the convergence of the four of us at the temple would cause you and Mim to become displaced. Why would we risk the very real possibility of permanent separation?"

"Maybe you guys knew it ended happily and decided to give all of us a little adventure," Kim hypothesized optimistically.

"Perhaps," Sheila responded distractedly. It seemed a plausible theory, but something was not sitting well with her. She pondered it for a couple seconds more before deciding to let her and Mim's future folly rest for the time being. "So shall we get back to work?" she asked.

Kim nodded. "Yup, we probably should," she agreed, getting up. "I know time is relative when you are looking for an object that allows for time travel, but I'm the tiniest bit afraid that Shego and I are going to miss our wedding. My mom and her mom both didn't want us to go on this trip because the wedding was so close, and if we don't get back in time, both of our families are going to be completely pissed off at us."

"How long has the wedding been planned?" Sheila asked, amused but slightly incredulous that their families were eagerly anticipating a union between two women.

"Hm. Let's see," Kim murmured, pretending to think. "Well, Shego and I have been together almost five years. So almost five years?"

Sheila chuckled. "And whose mother was convinced that you two were destined to be?" she inquired.

"Shego's mom, Lottie," Kim answered. "But my Mom was nearly as bad."

Sheila studied her with skepticism that she infused with a forced amusement. "Forgive me," she requested. "I do not mean to be impolite, but I am hard pressed to believe that both of your mothers are delighted with the prospect of either of you marrying another woman."

Kim paused, slightly taken aback by the statement and the implicit sadness that Sheila had tried to hide by using a jocular tone. Mim had written nothing in her journals and neither one of them had ever spoken about family problems. The only thing that had ever spoken of any family disapproval was their separate burial plots, and Kim and Shego had fixed that as soon as Kim had officially inherited Mim's estate. "Well, even though we still have a long way to go, times are better for our type of folks in the future; I mean, we aren't considered deviant anymore, unless you are fairly religious," Kim said slowly, trying to buy time as she thought it out. "And neither of our families is particularly religious, so there isn't much stigma attached for them. Mostly though, I know they both want us to be happy, and they know we're happy with each other. So, even if they had a problem with it, they would still be okay with it."

"You are incredibly lucky," Sheila said softly.

"And we are well aware and thankful for it," Kim replied honestly. She hesitated, not knowing if she should ask this, but being Kim, she decided to go ahead. "Have you and Mim had to put up with a lot from your families since you became a couple?"

"Some," Sheila admitted. "But not nearly as much as we might have, and that has been mostly due to my mother's influence. She has known of my inclinations for a very long time and she thinks the world of Mim, so she thinks that my good fortune in winning her was a gift from heaven above. She has kept my father, my brothers and most incredibly, Chicago society from showing any ill will toward us."

"And how exactly does she accomplish that? Mind control?" Kim asked wryly.

"By convincing them that Mim and I are naught but good friends," Sheila replied.

Kim's eyebrow rose. "I've seen your wedding dresses. Unless it was you guys and your mother at that wedding, I'm thinking that some people might have figured it out," she guessed.

"Oh, those were not wedding dresses," Sheila said, with a twinkle in her eye. "Those were ball gowns, worn to last year's New Year's Eve extravaganza, which inexplicably happened to bear an uncanny resemblance to a wedding banquet."

"You have got to be kidding me," Kim said flatly. "People actually believed that they were just at a party?"

"People believe what they want to believe," Sheila replied. "And my guess is that in our case it is easier to play along with the charade than cause a scandal. High society abhors a scandal." She sighed. "I suppose that we are lucky for having had as few problems as we have had thus far, but it saddens me that Mim and I must be so circumspect with what we really are to one another. "

"It will get better," Kim promised. "And eventually, you will be able to declare to packed courtroom exactly what Mim is to you."

"I do not share your optimism," Sheila said.

"You don't have to," Kim replied, shrugging. "I was there and I saw you do it, so I know that it is going to happen." Sheila's look told her that she still didn't believe Kim, but Kim knew she was right. "So I take it things are okay with your family. How's Mim's with everything?"

"Her father is much like mine; he chooses to believe that we are merely friends because that is what is easiest for him to accept. Her mother is far too intelligent to believe such tripe, however."

"And?" Kim prompted.

"And she is having a hard time dealing with it," Sheila admitted. "She has always supported Mim, but she just fears that being with me will render Mim's life more difficult than it need be. She loves Mim and does not wish to see her hurt, and she is convinced that I will grow weary of Mim and abandon her to the life of a spinster. Or even worse, I will not, and Mim will have to face the outcast life of an unmarried, possibly tribadic woman."

"So it's not really you she's got a problem with," Kim summarized. "She is just afraid that Mim's life will be ruined."

"I suppose, but since I would be the principal player of its ruination, I believe that trying to separate me from her fears is a futile exercise," Sheila countered.

"Maybe," Kim allowed. "But I think the easiest way for you to show her that you are not going to leave Mim anytime soon."

"I've built my house in backwater Middleton and she came to our wedding banquet; I do not see much more that I can do short of a public declaration which we have already determined is not in our best interests," Sheila objected.

"Does Mim have a wedding ring?" Kim asked simply.

"No," Sheila answered, wondering what that had to do with anything.

"Then get her a ring," Kim declared. "Moms like to see rings."

Sheila shook her head. "There is no way that the situation will be resolved so simply," she stated.

"It couldn't hurt," Kim pointed out. Her eyebrow quirked as she thought of something. "Would you like to see the wedding ring that you say will solve nothing?" she asked impishly.

Sheila stared at her. "You have my wedding ring," she said incredulously.

"No," Kim disagreed. "I have the more important one; I have Mim's wedding ring."

"Truthfully?" Sheila asked. Kim nodded. Sheila paused, not sure if she completely believed Kim, but finally she gave into her curiosity. "May I see it?" she asked.

"Of course," Kim responded. She took off her green glove, removed the ring from her ring finger and handed it to Sheila.

Sheila took it, but before she looked at it, she asked Kim a question that had been pestering her for three days. "Why do you have two differently-colored gloves?" she asked.

Kim chuckled. "Well, before she met me, Shego had a costume that had two different color gloves. When her parents gave us these uniforms, they gave her two green gloves and me two black gloves. Shego liked her two-toned gloves, though, so she cajoled my right black glove out of me and I got her other green glove."

"I see," Sheila commented. "Thank you ever so much. That was quite a distraction for me." Kim cracked a grin. Sheila smiled back and then turned her attention to the metal circle in her palm. It was beautiful, that was certain, but she was hard-pressed to believe that this small piece of jewelry would allay all of Mother Possible's fears. She looked at the intricate etching a little more closely, marveling at the exquisite craftsmanship. She had never seen anything like it. "How did you acquire this?" she asked Kim, as she handed it back to her.

"Mim left it to me in her will; you left yours, which is a perfect match, to Shego," Kim replied, as she replaced the ring and her green glove.

"And how and where did we take possession of them?" Sheila pressed. She was curious; the ring she was holding did not seem like the type you could get from a jeweler.

"They were artifacts from a temple that you and Mim visited in Guyana," Kim told her. "Since you don't have them yet, I assume that hasn't happened yet."

Sheila stopped short and her neutral expression turned into a deep scowl. "Who are you? Do you work for Lipsky? Have the two of you done something with Mim?" she accused, coming closer to Kim with a subtle menace flowing off of her.

Kim had no idea what switch had been flipped to make Sheila so suddenly angry, but she had a lot of experience dealing with hotheads, well, one in particular, so she hoped she could talk her way out of it, or, at the very least, find out what exactly the heck was going on. "I don't work for Lipsky," she said slowly, putting her hands up in a conciliatory gesture and allowing her honest confusion to be heard in her voice.

Sheila's scowl relaxed. Either this girl was an extraordinary liar or she did not work for Lipsky, and from what she had seen over the past few days, the young lady was not very adept at lying. "Then how do you know of our plans?" she asked in a more normal tone.

"But I don't know about them," Kim insisted. "I just said that you guys got these rings from a temple in Guyana." A few seconds later, all the clues hit her, and she had an inkling that she did know. "Wait. You and Mim were headed to Guyana, weren't you? To go after Lipsky because he is after the amulet of power for revenge?" she guessed.

"So you do know," Sheila observed. "Our upcoming plans are supposed to be covert," she explained gruffly. "None but those we trust most are supposed to know about them. And yet you know."

Kim's brow knitted. "Um, I'm from the future?" she offered, not wanting to go into specifics for fear of screwing up the time stream.

In spite of her still-simmering suspicion, Sheila begrudgingly had to admit to herself that would explain it. But as she thought, she realized it only explained it somewhat. "Based on everything that you have told me, I can surmise that you are quite familiar with Mim and I and our life together. But we have already been asked by local, state and federal authorities to speak of the Lipsky adventure to no one. And yet you know," she said.

"Aunt Mim wrote about it in her journal," Kim replied, relieved that it was the truth. "And I was asked by Aunt Mim herself to read it," she added, before invasion of privacy became an issue.

"But why would Mim want us to break our confidence?" Sheila asked.

"Actually, you both wanted it," Kim clarified. "And you wanted it because the fate of the world was at stake." Sheila looked at her dubiously and Kim sighed. "Look, I apologize; I really would like nothing better than to tell you everything," she said honestly. "But I can't, because stuff that happens on your mission to Guyana becomes really important to Shego and me and to our future together. If it doesn't happen exactly like it did before, I don't know if I am going to have my Shego to get back to, and I can't be sure that if I tell you something it won't mess up what needs to happen."

"I take it then that is imperative that Mim and I go to British Guiana," Sheila summarized, deciding not to press. It was obvious from Kim's body language that she was not lying and that this mission was truly important to her, so Sheila decided she could be patient in finding out why. Kim nodded. "Is it also imperative that we thwart Lipsky?" she asked. Kim nodded again, and Sheila sighed. "Then I fear we have a choice to make," she said reluctantly. "Mim and I are scheduled to depart on a boat leaving for British Guiana in approximately sixteen days. That boat is our best chance to make it to British Guiana in time to stop him. If we do not leave here within the next day, we will not make the boat."

"So we have to decide whether to keep searching for a way to get Shego and Aunt Mim back or we have to leave to catch the boat," Kim stated.

"Yes, I am afraid that is our choice," Sheila agreed.

Kim thought about it, but as she thought, she realized there was only one choice. "We have to go," she decided. "You were going to stop Lipsky and we still need to do that because even I don't know what will happen if he gets the amulet. And maybe, just maybe, if we keep this timeline on track as much as we can, it will help us get this all straightened out."

"How?" Sheila inquired.

"I haven't figured that out yet," Kim admitted. "So what about you? Do you think we should go?"

"I am reluctant to leave Mim, but based on what you have told me, something tells me that we should go," Sheila replied. "There are too many oddities with this whole situation for me to think that we can accomplish much here, and if we leave we can at least accomplish something."

"Then we try for the rest of the day to find something, spend the night and then set out for town tomorrow?" Kim suggested.

"I think that is best," Sheila agreed.

"Then back to work?" Kim asked. Sheila nodded and together they returned to the temple.

As expected, they found nothing, so after sundown that night, they gathered their things together in preparation for a morning departure. The next morning, they saddled up the horses, Maria and Miguel, and took off for the port that Mim and Sheila had sailed into, the Portuguese colony of Luanda. Luanda was at least four hundred miles from their camp, so even though they maintained a good pace, it still took seven days of riding at least twelve hours a day to make it there. Kim, unused to riding horses for so long, was sore for the first couple of days, but her natural athleticism and her time spent at her Uncle Slim's ranch helped immensely. She couldn't help but spare a few wistful thoughts for the hovercraft, however, and she and Sheila were both relieved when the Luanda city limits came into view late in the afternoon of the seventh day.

When they got to Luanda, they went directly to the stable adjacent to their hotel to return the horses before making their way up to Mim and Sheila's hotel room. Kim collapsed gratefully into a chair and Sheila looked at her thoughtfully. "Have you anything else to wear besides that which you are wearing?" she asked.

"No," Kim replied regretfully. "I don't carry any kind of a pack to bring anything with me. All of my stuff is back at my camp which is four hundred miles and a century forward in the future away."

"Which is just as well, really," Sheila decided. "Based on your current apparel, I doubt that you would have anything appropriate to wear anyway."

Kim thought about getting offended, but realized Sheila was right. "Nah, I probably wouldn't," she agreed. "I rarely dress in anything but pants and I doubt that is proper for around here."

"Not really," Sheila affirmed. "Mim and I wear them, but only when we are away from polite society." She crossed the room and began to rummage around in one of the trunks. She pulled out a medium grey skirt and matching light-grey long-sleeved blouse, and Kim's eyes widened. From the looks of it, the skirt was made of wool and the bottom had a beautiful border of a light-grey ribbon that matched the primary color of the blouse. The blouse itself was work of art, with a midline of beautiful white lace accentuated with subtly darkening panels of grey silk extending across the bodice until it culminated in the darkest light grey that made up the back and the puff sleeves.

"I don't think I can wear that," Kim said honestly. "My waist is not nearly small enough."

"That is what a corset is for," Sheila said flatly, and Kim winced. Sheila looked at her expression and laughed. "Never fear, FP," she said, still chuckling. "Mim hates them as well and she refuses to wear them. The waist is adjustable so that she and I both can wear it." Kim blew a sigh of relief and Sheila smiled. "But one thing we do need is shoes. Your feet are a completely different shape and length than either of ours," she said.

"I also need some sort of undergarments," Kim pointed out. "My bra is fine, but I am not wearing Mim's um, stuff, for the bottom."

Sheila's face wrinkled in distaste. "Heavens no," she agreed. "Well, shall we freshen up and retire for the evening?" she asked. "We can have our dinner delivered up here and after we have had a good night's rest, we can venture out into the city tomorrow to get you a few things. The boat for Accra doesn't leave until Tuesday, which gives us tomorrow in the city."

"Accra?" Kim questioned. "Is that in Guyana?"

"No, that is in the Gold Coast," Sheila replied. "It is there we will meet our transatlantic ship."

"So we are taking a boat to get to a boat," Kim reasoned.

"Yes," Sheila confirmed.

"Okay," Kim said, figuring that was the best way they could get to where they needed to, but sentimental for the hovercraft once again.

"Yes, well, anyway, I will go downstairs and order dinner. I will be back shortly," Sheila said, turning towards the door.

"Okay," Kim agreed, but as Sheila closed the door behind her, she realized something. "Hey wait," she called. "You didn't ask me what I wanted." She heard a chuckle, but Sheila didn't come back. "Hm," she commented, before deciding it wasn't worth it and that she was going to see what the bathroom had in the way of hot water.

By the time Sheila had returned, Kim was scrubbing the eight layers of dirt off her skin and out of her hair with a palatable relief. The door opened and a nightgown came flying in to land on the sink. Kim chuckled. Sheila was a good shot. She dried herself off and climbed into the nightwear, and after she had made sure she had left the bathroom in a decent state, she went back out into the main room. Sheila looked up when she came in the room. "Dinner will be here shortly, so I suggest that you go into the bedroom until it arrives," Sheila told her. "You would cause quite the scandal if our attendant should see you like that."

Kim rolled her eyes but said nothing as she padded off to the bedroom. She was so very tempted to look at some of the items strewn around, but instead she waited patiently until she heard a knock, followed by bustling activity and the sound of the door closing. She then poked her head back out and Sheila waved her back into the room. "Dinner looks delicious," she said, as she sat down to what looked like bread, stew and tea.

"It was all they had," Sheila said with a smile. "So what we wanted was irrelevant."

Kim chuckled. "Then it's perfect," she said. They exchanged pleasantries for a couple of minutes, but after a week of trail rations, their hunger got the best of them and they dug in, silencing conversation for the rest of dinner. When they were finished, they gathered up the dishes and placed them off to the side, and when the sitting room was back to a state of cleanliness, Sheila went off to take her own bath. By the time she was done, Kim had fallen asleep on the couch. Sheila smiled, retrieved a blanket from the bedroom and covered her up. She went to the bedroom and climbed into the bed, letting her hand absentmindedly drift to Mim's side of the bed. A small tear slipped down her cheek, but she ignored it and she turned over and willed herself to go to asleep.

The next morning, after having a quick breakfast, Sheila helped Kim dress and they went out into the city, looking for a cobbler and lingerie shop. They found a cobbler easily enough, but before they entered, Sheila hesitated briefly. "Would you happen to know any Portuguese?" she asked. "Mim is the one who speaks Portuguese; I am much more familiar with Spanish, and I am afraid a native cobbler would not speak English."

"No, I don't know any Portuguese," Kim answered. "But it doesn't matter." She pushed back the sleeve on her blouse and pushed a couple of buttons on her kimmunicator. "There. Language barrier all fixed, courtesy of technology," she declared. Sheila looked at her quizzically. Kim smiled and walked into the shop.

"How may I help you, Miss?" the shopkeeper asked, and Sheila was relieved to hear that he spoke English.

"I'm in desperate need of some proper shoes," Kim replied. "And my ship leaves port tomorrow."

The man frowned. "I'm sorry, Miss," he apologized. "I typically make all my shoes by hand, which obviously would take more than a day." He thought. "I think there may be a shoe store somewhere on the other side of the city."

Kim frowned. "I'm afraid we don't have the time to search," she said. "Would you have any that have been rejected? I'm not picky."

The cobbler's face turned pensive. "I may," he said noncommittally. "May I see your feet?" Kim sat down and removed her mission boots. He measured them and grinned, his face brightening. "You are in luck, Miss," he said. "My wife has the same foot as you, and I have just finished a pair for her."

"Won't that get you in trouble?" Kim pointed out.

"Not if I make a good sale," he said with a chuckle. Kim grinned.

He went in the back and brought out the shoes, and to everyone's happiness, they fit perfectly. He named his price and Sheila paid it, and as he was writing up the receipt, he took the opportunity to pay Kim a compliment. "If I may be so bold, Miss, where are you from?" he asked. "I would have thought you British, but your Portuguese is flawless."

"I'm American, actually," Kim answered. "And thank you for your kind words. I will pass them along to the person who allowed me to be so fluent." He smiled and handed her the receipt. She gave it to Sheila, they bade him goodbye, and they walked out his shop.

"What on earth was he talking about?" Sheila asked, perplexed. "He was speaking English as were you."

"Listen to the street chatter," Kim requested, and much to her amazement, as Kim pushed buttons on that odd bracelet off hers, the chatter changed from being in English to being in Portuguese to reverting to English.

"I do believe I will like the future," Sheila declared. Kim laughed.

They continued to explore the streets and soon enough found the type of establishment that sold personal effects for ladies. Kim got what she needed, although she was a bit horrified at how much material they were made of. It was clear that she was going to have to wash her other panties for use under her mission clothes, because there was no way these would fit under her tight-fitting uniform.

They wandered around the city for the rest of the day, finding lunch, dinner and supplies for their trip, so that by the time they made it back to their hotel, the hour was late, and they pretty much only had time to pack all of their trunks and go to bed. In the morning, the hotel provided a carriage to take them to the docks and to their ship, a Portuguese naval vessel. They met the captain, who brusquely ordered a couple of his sailors to take their things before he turned his back on them, and soon they were settled into their guest quarters.

"Well, the captain was kind of rude," Kim said, as they arranged the trunks.

"He is not happy that we are aboard," Sheila replied.

"Obviously," Kim retorted. "What did we do to him?"

"Us? Nothing," Sheila stated. "But, since we are here as a favor to the British crown under the Treaty of Windsor and the British used that same treaty to force the Portuguese to give up some of their land in Africa, relations between the countries are not at their most friendly."

"This was the best ride we could find?" Kim asked incredulously.

"The safest for two women traveling alone in foreign lands, yes," Sheila replied. "On a naval vessel, we can be assured that we will be neither robbed nor compromised. It is an unfortunate reality that we have to think of such things, but we do."

"I hadn't thought of that," Kim admitted apologetically.

"For which I am glad," Sheila responded. "It gives me hope for the future." They both sat pensive for a few moments before Sheila broke it up. "Anyway, enough with such maudlin topics; I say we leave this dreary cabin and go explore the ship," she declared.

"Agreed," Kim agreed and they left. They soon ran into a sailor, and he apologetically but dutifully returned them to their cabin, explaining that the captain had given orders that they were to remain in their cabin for the duration of the journey, only leaving for meals and one daily walk along the deck. After he had left, Kim and Sheila remained in their cabin for about fifteen minutes to make sure he was gone before leaving again, this time taking care not to be spotted by anyone. And so it went for the next four days as Kim and Sheila made a game of exploring the ship without being seen and returning to their cabin at exactly the right time so that the captain would never suspect they had ever been gone.

They docked in Accra without incident, and much as he had welcomed them, the captain dismissed them from his ship with terse orders to his sailors and a quick disappearance. The Portuguese sailors accompanied them and their trunks to the HMS Gladiator, waiting politely until the captain was summoned and they could transfer the responsibility of looking after the two women to him. The captain came out soon enough, and after seeing who was standing there, a wide smile spread over his grizzled old face. He dismissed the Portuguese soldiers politely before stepping up and wrapping Sheila in an enthusiastic bear hug. Kim's eyes widened at this unexpected development, but Sheila wasn't upset, so she figured everything was all right.

"Lil!" the Captain said in a booming voice after he released her. "How wonderful it is to see you again, my dear. How is your father doing?"

"It is so very nice to see you again, too, Great-Uncle Reggie, and Father is fine," Sheila said, returning his smile. "And I believe you have heard of my companion, Miriam Possible?" she asked, figuring it would just be easier to pretend that Kim was Mim, rather than having to explain it.

"Of course, of course, the famous Mim Possible! Very nice to meet you, young lady," he said happily, reaching for Kim's hand. Kim smiled, unable to help it with all of the jolly coming her way, and stretched out her own. He shook it enthusiastically before letting it drop.

"Very nice to meet you, too, Captain," she said politely.

"Please call me Reggie," he insisted.

"Only if you will call me, um, Mim," Kim replied, stumbling a bit as she assumed a new identity, at least for the time being.

"Mim it is then," he said. "We sail tomorrow morning, ladies, so please make yourselves comfortable until then. Ensign!" he barked, and a nervous young sailor came over to him. "Escort these ladies to the guest quarters."

"Aye, Cap'n," he said respectfully.

"Now I must leave," Captain Reggie said. "But we shall see one another tonight."

"Goodbye, Uncle Reggie," Sheila said. He winked and strode off to attend to his business.

"He seems nice," Kim said as they were going below decks to their quarters.

"He is friendliness personified," Sheila confirmed. They came to a door and the Ensign politely opened it up for them, dragging all of their stuff inside. Kim thanked him and he blushed, stammering a goodbye before hastily making a retreat. Sheila rolled her eyes. "How you Possible women manage to do that to men I am still not sure," she said.

"Family secret," Kim said with a cheeky grin.

Sheila sighed. "Well, FP, how do you like the accommodations? They will be home for the next two weeks."

"It will take two weeks to cross the Atlantic?" Kim asked unenthusiastically.

"If the weather is good," Sheila confirmed.

Kim sighed; the slow pace of travel was one huge strike against the past in her opinion. "Well, at least we'll have time to plan," she said, trying to be optimistic.

"I suppose that is one way to look at it," Sheila observed cynically.


	5. (It's) Witchcraft

Chapter 5 – (It's) Witchcraft

Shego and Mim turned around slowly, keeping their hands in the air. A pitchfork jabbed menacingly at them and Shego noted the historically-dressed young man wielding it. "Well, unless the stupid monkey has dropped us into the middle of an historical reenactment, I guess we have proof the stupid monkey has screwed up once again," Shego said softly to Mim.

"A reenactment in the middle of the night?" Mim inquired with wry incredulity.

"My point exactly," Shego answered. She thought a second and winced. They were still wearing their Roman soldier uniforms and she doubted historical drag would go over well with the local population. So, when Puritan-Boy glared at them suspiciously, she unexpectedly grabbed the pitchfork, yanked him close enough so that he was within arms' reach and then promptly whacked him on the head, knocking him out cold. "Okay, problem solved," she said crisply. "Get the stupid monkey working and we'll get the hell out of here." Mim looked at her reproachfully, an eyebrow rising in an unmistakable chiding gesture. "What?" Shego challenged.

"You did not need to incapacitate him, Junior," Mim admonished, looking at the now-prone young man and back at Shego.

"We're wearing Roman soldier gear, Nana Mim," Shego pointed out. "By his clothes, he is a Puritan, ergo a religious nutcase. How in the hell are we supposed to explain that we are women dressed as guys from two thousand years ago? I really doubt he would buy the costume party excuse."

"You may have a point," Mim conceded. She looked at the man, sighed and looked at the time monkey. She opened her mouth, looked at him again and closed it before turning back to Shego. "I think we should take him back to civilization," she stated. "He is out here alone in what look to be inhospitable woods and he is unconscious. I would not feel comfortable leaving him to the whims of nature and fate."

Shego frowned, but she had to admit that Nana Mim had scored a point of her own. "You're probably right," she admitted reluctantly. "But first we change. That way if we meet someone we can freak them out in our regular clothes."

Mim blinked. She hadn't expected Junior to acquiesce so easily. "That sounds equitable," she said after a moment's pause. She removed the satchel from her shoulder and after opening it, rummaged through it until she came up with pants, blouses, socks and boots. She handed Shego her clothing and Shego retreated to the concealing safety of the trees. Mim gathered her own apparel and did the same, and within a few short moments, they were back in the clearing with two armfuls of armor and accessories that they subsequently stacked neatly by a handy tree.

Shego went over to the still-unconscious man, bent over and picked him up, cradling him briefly. Looking him over, Shego saw that he was young; he still had a baby face and a mop of red curls. Seeing that hair, Shego glanced at Mim and then back at the kid, frowning briefly before shifting him and flipping him over her head so he was draped over her shoulders. Mim's eyes widened. The young man wasn't small; he was at least six feet tall and had a physique to match. Junior apparently was not exaggerating when she included strength among her attributes. "So, where to?" Shego asked after she had gotten him settled.

Mim looked around and up. "There appears to be smoke rising in that direction," she observed, pointing north. "I would think that smoke might mean the presence of a village or other civilization."

"Good call," Shego commented after seeing the smoke now that Nana Mim had pointed it out. "Well, let's go," she said. Mim nodded and they turned and left the clearing.

Luckily for them, the town was only about a half mile away and there was a relatively good path that led them from where they were in the woods to the back of what appeared to be a large barn. There were no lights coming from the building, so after a pointed glare from Mim, Shego decided to try the front, but it was just as dark as the back.

Shego sighed and shifted the man on her back. From the look that had returned to Nana Mim's face, it was obvious that she was not going to be content with just dropping him on a doorstep. Shego scanned the houses she could see, but none of them appeared to have their lights on. She peered into the darkness, looking a little farther, and finally saw what looked to be another row of houses. "Do you want to try down there?" she asked. "There might be someone awake down there."

Mim nodded. "That might yield something useful," she agreed. Shego nodded and they continued down the dirt street to what they assumed was the center of town. There, at the crossroad, they saw a lantern burning on the front porch of one of the houses to the left and they made their way to it.

Shego unceremoniously dumped her charge on the porch and stepped up to the door, using the knocker to rap a couple of times before grabbing Mim's hand to pull her off of the porch and into the shadows. The owner of the house was too quick, however, and he opened the door before they could make their escape. He looked at the prostrate young man on his front porch and then at the strangely-dressed women on his front porch. "Who art thou?"

Shego didn't reply, but surreptitiously pushed the translator buttons on her kimmunicator. Mim noticed and rolled her eyes. "That will do little good," she said under her breath. "He is speaking English."

"I know," Shego murmured tersely. "I was just hoping." She straightened and addressed the man who had addressed them. "Um, we art Miriam and Sheila," she answered, using her full name under the assumption that it would sound better. She looked more closely at the man and an eyebrow rose slightly as she realized he looked an awful lot like Mr. Barkin, Kimmie's old high school teacher. "Um, who art thou?" she asked.

"Sheldon Stephen Barkin," he answered, and Shego sighed. Stupid monkey, she thought. "I be one of the magistrates here in Middleton," he continued, and the mention of Middleton snapped Shego out of her monkey cursing.

"Middleton?" Mim clarified, speaking for the first time. "I wast not aware that there be such a place," she lied, hoping to eke out more information.

"Well, officially our lands belongeth to Salem-Town," he admitted. "But we prefereth to remain separate."

"Ah," Mim replied, hoping he meant Salem, Massachusetts. "Well, we beseech thy pardon, Magistrate, for our disruption at this late hour, but we didst need to make sure that this man was cared for."

"But how didst he get thus?" Barkin asked, skeptical. "And what be the garments that thou doth wear?"

"We were attacked," Shego interjected, a plausible lie forming quickly in her mind. "The thieves took our clothing and, to further our disgrace, left us only these clothes to wear. The young man tried to come to our rescue, but they knocked him on the head. After they had taken everything, they left us alone in the woods and we made our way here."

Her story, thought a bald-faced lie, was told convincingly enough that Magistrate Barkin believed her and his demeanor changed instantly. "Verily I be sorry for mine uncharitable actions," he said, honestly penitent for furthering the ladies' distress by not asking them immediately if there was something amiss.

"Be thou at peace," Mim said, and for the first time Shego noticed that she had effortlessly slipped into old-speak. Shego mentally rolled her eyes. "But couldst thou tell us the young man's identity? We oweth him much," she said, noting really needing to know but curious nonetheless.

"His name be Daniel Bertram Director," Magistrate Barkin replied. "He be the village husbandman."

"He's a Director?" Shego asked incredulously.

Barkin looked at her strangely. "Verily," he confirmed. "Doth thou know his family?"

"In a manner of speaking," Shego said vaguely.

Sheldon looked at her curiously but decided to let it pass. "Forgive mine rudeness," he apologized as he realized the ladies were still out on his porch and still wearing those disgraceful clothes. "Please enter," he requested, and after he had lifted up Daniel and brought him in, Mim and Shego took him up on his offer. He laid Daniel on the couch and then called for the house's other occupant. "Elizabeth?" he called. "Couldst thou come hence?"

They heard footsteps on the stairs and Mim and Shego looked up to see a teenaged blonde coming down the stairs. Shego blinked and did a slight double-take. Granted, she was dressed very differently and her hair was much longer and in a bun, but Elizabeth was the spitting image of Dr. Director. Oh hell no, Shego thought. "How mayest I be of assistance, Father?" she asked as she entered the bottom floor.

"These poor women were accosted on their way hence," her father explained. "The bandits tooketh their raiment and left them thus. They didst also wound poor Daniel when he didst come to their aid."

At the mention of Daniel, Elizabeth's attention was diverted from the strangely dressed women to the unconscious young man on the couch. She did an excellent job of hiding it, but Mim noticed the worried look that flashed across her features before she remembered the company she was keeping and turned her attention back to them. "How horrible it must have been for both of thee," she said sympathetically.

"Couldst thou please take them upstairs and get them some proper garments?" Sheldon asked, not trying to be offensive, but honestly just trying to assuage the mortification any god-fearing woman would have to be suffering from to be seen in such clothing.

"Um, that's okay, Magistrate," Shego said hurriedly. "We must be moving on."

Sheldon looked at her in shock. "Thou wouldst leave after nightfall and dressed thus?" he asked.

"Ordinarily, we wouldst not," Mim said quickly. "But we haveth imposed on thy hospitality far too much and mine niece was merely trying to ease thy burden by suggesting our departure."

"Be thou not foolish," Sheldon said dismissively. "Thou both shall get some proper garments and at least tarry the night. On the morrow shall we talk about thy departure." He stood up and gathered up Daniel from the couch. "I shall taketh him home. Elizabeth shall tend to thy needs," he said, and unable to do much else, Mim and Shego nodded. He left and Mim and Shego looked at Elizabeth.

"My name be Elizabeth Nancy Barkin," she said with a polite smile. "And who might thee be?"

"Miriam and Sheila," Shego answered, indicating Mim and then herself. "Nice to meet you, Elizabeth."

"Very pleased to maketh thy acquaintance," Elizabeth replied courteously. "But if thou doth approve, I prefer Betty."

Shego sighed. "Of course you do," she said with a wan smile. Betty, oblivious to the sarcasm, smiled and led them up the stairs.

Mim, however, noticed the sarcasm immediately. "Whatever is the matter, Junior?" she asked quietly after Betty had turned away.

"Kimmie's cousin is also named Betty," Shego answered, also quietly. "And she looks exactly like this Betty. But her last name is Director."

Mim thought about that briefly and then broke out in a wide grin. "Why is that a concern, Junior?" she asked. "It is obvious that she has an interest in Daniel and he is a Director. Maybe they will marry and the name stays in the family."

"Maybe," Shego said reluctantly. "But being around Kimmie's potential ancestors makes me nervous. If we screw something up, I might lose my Kimmie."

"Then we shall tread lightly," Mim promised, mindful that Junior had a point.

Betty could hear her visitors conversing, but she let them be, figuring that not only was it none of her business, they had both been through a great deal this evening and they probably needed to talk some things out. She turned her mind to something else, but the only place for her mind to travel after thoughts of their perils was to Daniel. She hoped with all of her heart that he was okay. He was such a sweet and kind young man that the thought of anyone hurting him made her undeniably distraught. Of course, the fact that he loved her and she loved him in return had absolutely nothing to do with her distress. She was engaged to another; the match was set and emotions could have no jurisdiction over life. She was merely concerned as one Christian woman should be for her Christian brother. Or so she tried to convince herself as she opened the door to her workroom. "Please, enter," she requested and Mim and Shego silently followed her in.

She rummaged around in her commissions, looking for two dresses that would fit. It was tough; the newcomers were unusually tall, and none of the skirts she had would reach the floor as they needed to. Finally, she found two dresses that would work for width and by utilizing their sizable hems, she hoped to make them the appropriate length. "If it pleaseth thee, please exchange your garments for these. I shall return in a few moments to adjust the length," she said, holding out the dresses and two white bonnets that she had also secured.

"So, thou art an accomplished seamstress," Mim observed, impressed at the craftsmanship.

"As are most women," Betty said modestly.

"No, most women cannot sew like this," Mim disagreed, and Betty blushed.

"If thou doth need me, I shall be outside," she said quickly, leaving them alone.

"Way to embarrass the crap out her, Nana Mim," Shego wryly congratulated her as they put the dresses on over what they were wearing.

"She is very talented and I was just remarking on that talent," Mim answered, putting on her bonnet.

"Yeah, sure you were," Shego retorted, putting on her own. There was a polite rap at the door. "We're decent," Shego called out, and Betty entered the room.

She looked them over critically, assessing where things could be improved on before realizing that such trivial concerns were not critical; she merely needed to adjust the length right now. "Couldst thou stand here, please?" she asked Mim, indicating a short stool, She knelt by Mim and deftly ripped out the existing hem, before pinning the skirt back up to the proper length. When she was done, Mim stepped down and Shego stepped up, and as quickly as she had with Mim's, she adjusted the length of Shego's skirt.

When it was done, Shego stepped down and with one quick motion took the dress off and handed it to Betty. "Here you go," she said, figuring Betty would want it back to sew it. Betty gasped softly, and Shego realized that Betty had assumed that they had taken off their other clothes. "It's okay, Ms. Barkin," she said hastily. "We're both still fully clothed under the dresses." She pointed out the shirt and pants that she was still dressed in, and Betty's instinctual modesty alarm calmed down. "And just for the record, the only one who sees me in less than modest clothing is the person that I share with my life with," she added, hoping to diffuse the still-palatable tension coming off of Betty.

That statement piqued Betty's interest. "Thou art married?" she asked interestedly, as shock gave way to curiosity.

"Engaged," Shego answered.

Betty frowned. "But thou didst say that thou doth share thy life," she pointed out. "And that he hast seen thee in less than modest clothing."

"Um, yeah, he has," Shego admitted, deciding not to make the situation worse by pointing out that Kimmie was a girl. By the tone of her last sentence, Betty was already seemingly freaked out by the "seen thee in less than modest clothing" thing, so Shego figured that being gay would be akin to her being the Devil incarnate.

Betty's frown got deeper. "Do thy parents know?" she asked, still trying to work her way through how a situation like the one the stranger was describing was even possible.

"Yes, and they encourage it," Shego said truthfully, trying to get Betty to broaden her horizons just a little.

"But then thou wouldst be a fallen woman," Betty declared. "How couldst thy parents encourage that?"

"A fallen woman?" Shego asked incredulously. "Just because me and my, um, guy like spending time together and he has seen me in something other than a floor-length dress? Please," she said dismissively. "We love each other and we like spending time together. There's nothing wrong with that, and that's why my parents have no problem with it."

"But if thou art together before thou art joined, thou shall sin," Betty countered.

"Not necessarily," Shego retorted. "You should give people's self-control a little more credit. But, regardless, is it really sin if we are getting married anyway?" she challenged.

Betty blushed at the implication, but that question gave her pause, and she had to think about it before answering. "So sayeth the Scriptures," she said, but even as she said it, she realized that answer did seem the tiniest bit absurd. She banished that thought immediately and quickly moved on before the demons could come to claim her. "I guess that if thou doth love one another that might pose more of an attraction to spending time together," Betty conceded. "And if thou are well and truly distracted with each other, thou might be dissuaded from sin. But thou art lucky. 'Tis not the case with me and mine betrothed, and so we must remain separate."

"But thou art obviously in love with Daniel," Mim interjected, speaking for the first time in a while. "How can it not be thine case?"

"He is not mine betrothed," Betty said softly. "So that matters not."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Shego said, alarmed as Nana Mim's Kimmie's-future-saving theory about Daniel and Betty getting hitched and changing Betty's last name to Director went right out the window. "You aren't marrying Daniel?"

"No," Betty answered suddenly suspicious. "But that be no matter of thine. Thou art but strangers, and might mean me harm if I told thee too much."

"Perhaps," Mim allowed. "But mine niece hath already confessed her sin to thee, so we hold no abundance of information over thee, especially since loving someone other than thine intended is not a sin but merely a sadness."

Betty looked at her critically. "Thou art strange," she concluded. "How canst thou say that to marry is a sadness? 'Tis a blessing."

"Yes, it is," Mim agreed. "And I know that that thou mayest possibly grow to love him. But, after having seen so many of mine friends and relations make the matches they were supposed to and only end up resigned instead of content, it maketh me sad to see a loveless match."

"Then thou art a dreamer," Betty stated tartly. "And due for much sadness."

"Of thus I am well aware," Mim answered with an unconcerned shrug.

Betty looked at her and wanted to say more, but decided she was done speaking for the time being. "Art thou clothed underneath the dress as well?" she asked, changing the subject completely.

"Yes," Mim replied.

"Then giveth me the dress," Betty ordered, in a tone that completely reminded Shego of Dr. Director. "I shall have it for thee on the morrow." Mim complied and after a curt nod, Betty left the room.

"Way to make her mad at us, Nana Mim," Shego said sardonically.

"That was not my intent," Mim said, with a hint of regret. "I was being truthful when I said it makes me sad to see anyone in a loveless match. I know that marriage based on love is impractical, and that love should be one of the last considerations, but I have seen so many people that I love lose their spark for life when attached to someone they can merely stand, not someone they love." She sighed. "I guess I should just consider myself lucky and remember that not all matches can be like ours before I offend anyone else."

Nana Mim thought everyone should marry for love, Shego mused. Well, based on her choice of life partner that wasn't surprising, and Shego was sure that belief was why Nana Mim had been so helpful to both of them when she and Kimmie were first getting together. "Eh, your intentions were good," Shego said indulgently. "And it doesn't matter that much anyway. We'll be out of here when she comes back in the morning."

Mim nodded and then frowned. "Do we have to be?" she asked hopefully.

Shego knew that hopeful look and her face immediately contracted into a grumpy frown in an attempt to preempt her instinctual urge to acquiesce. Damn that look, she silently cursed. "Yes, we have to be," she said flatly, and Mim's face fell. Shego nearly gave in, but she thought about what she could lose if she did and that strengthened her resolve. "Look, Nana Mim," she began. "Obviously after what we were just talking about, you would like to see Betty marry Daniel because she's in love with him. But we don't know if Daniel is in love with her or even if he is the best guy for her; I mean the guy could be a total asshole. For all we know, even though she doesn't love him, her fiancé might be the perfect guy."

"Or he could be, as you so delightfully put it, the asshole," Mim countered, and Shego, poised to retort, paused as her mind processed the fact that her prim and proper Nana Mim had just said "asshole". After she recovered, Shego continued her argument.

"He could be," she allowed. "But we don't know, and since we don't belong here, and we could be doing so much more harm than good, we need to get the hell out of here."

Mim frowned; she knew Shego was right, but there seemed to be a great deal to the story that they had not seen and she wished to see it. "I do not wish to leave," she stated. Shego frowned, but Mim kept talking before she could retort. "But since you wish to be out of here so badly, I will offer a compromise. We will stay no more than three days. If within those three days, we find that Betty's fiancé is the better match, we will disappear. If, however, within those three days, we find out that Daniel is a better match, then we will still disappear, but we will attempt to enlighten Betty before we go."

Shego mulled the offer over for a few minutes before deciding to accept it. Nana Mim's mind was made up; if she wanted to stay, then she was damn well going to stay, because after almost five years with Kim, Shego knew that trying to change a Possible mind would take far longer than three days. Besides, the deal she offered didn't seem too excessive. "Deal," she said, and Mim nodded. "Well, if we are staying the night, we'd better get to bed."

"We should," Mim agreed. "But I angered Betty before she could tell us where we were sleeping." Shego rolled her eyes and cracked a wry smirk before opening the door to see if she could find their hostess, stopping short when a startled Betty stood on the other side.

"I realized in mine haste that I didst not show thee where thou art sleeping," she said embarrassedly.

"I was just coming to ask you about that," Shego said with a friendly smirk.

Betty smiled back, and indicated that Mim and Shego should follow her. They did, and she took them down the hall to a room that, Shego was interested to note, had a thick wooden door with an iron lock. She looked at Betty speculatively and Betty nodded. "'Tis the holding cell for scofflaws," she confirmed. "But 'tis the only room we have with two beds."

"It is lovely," Mim said promptly, smiling at Betty. Betty tentatively returned it, and that emboldened Mim to speak further. "I do apologize for before," she said sincerely. "I didst not mean to offend."

"Nor didst I," Betty admitted. "So think no more of it. I shall see both of thee on the morrow." She handed each of them a bundle of linens and smiled at both of them before walking back down the hall toward her room.

Shego looked at the cell. "Eh, I've been in worse," she stated and went in. Mim, somehow not doubting that a bit, chuckled and followed her in. They changed and climbed into their bunks, and tired after so many time shifts and no rest, they both fell promptly asleep.

Shego blinked and groaned as someone, presumably Nana Mim, shook her awake. "What?" she asked as she blinked, opened her eyes a little further and noticed it was still pitch black outside.

"It is time to get up, Junior," Mim replied.

"It is so not," Shego retorted. "No sun, no Shego."

"It is time for chores and we mustn't be impolite," Mim countered. "We should offer our assistance."

"Chores?" Shego asked skeptically. "You mean like milking cows and shi-, um, stuff?"

"Exactly," Mim said.

"Oh hell no," Shego said, turning over.

"Well, in my house, it was no chores, no breakfast," Mim answered sweetly.

Shego flipped back over and looked at Mim, her mouth curling into a disgusted glare. "All right, fine," she muttered and crawled out of bed to collect and dress in her fetching Puritan wear. Mim flashed a triumphant grin and left. After she had finished, Shego joined Mim out in the hallway. "Lead on," she said sarcastically, and Mim's grin became cheeky.

They found Betty out in the barn, and she seemed surprised, yet somehow not, to see them. As Mim had said, it would be impolite for them not to offer to help, but because they were guests, it would have been rude for Betty to assume that they would offer their help. "How may we be of assistance to thee?" Mim asked when Betty looked up from the cow she was milking.

"Thou art guests; no assistance is necessary," Betty answered cheerfully and promptly, and Shego was relieved to see that she didn't appear upset about their conversations the night prior.

"But we insisteth," Mim said, just as cheerfully and just as promptly.

"Forsooth, if thou insisteth, thou canst give the horses their grain and fill their water trough," Betty answered. Mim nodded and grabbed Shego's hand, leading her to the horse stalls that were at the other end of the barn. Before she went to work, Mim paused to admire the beautiful animals. She reached out a steady but tentative hand to stroke one's snout, and after a quick sniff, he willingly moved within her reach. Mim smiled and rewarded him with a few good nose rubs before getting back to the task at hand.

Shego rolled her eyes as a cover for her pang of sentiment. Though horses were more of a Joss thing than a Kimmie thing, the whole exchange was so patently Possible that Shego found herself missing her Princess again. She grumpily filled up the feed bags and handed them off to an obviously surprised Mim. "What?" she asked, puzzled. "Think I was too much of a city girl to know how to feed a horse?"

"Frankly, yes," Mim admitted. "Sheila knew nothing of their care when she first met me."

"We've always had horses and Mom made sure I knew how to care for them," Shego explained. She grabbed the water bucket. "This thing full will weigh a ton. I'll go get the water," she said, and trudged out to the barn to the pump she'd seen on her way over here.

"Mine niece seemeth to be fine taking care of the horses," Mim said, coming back over to Betty. "Be there any way I could assist thee?"

"No, not any way that I be aware of," Betty said as she finished up. "We haveth only the one cow and I be finished. The chickens be finished and the horses will be presently."

Mim smiled as she saw a perfect opportunity to lead into the plan she was working on. "Be these chores all thou have? Doth thou have many more?" Mim asked innocently. "Wouldst thou have any free time that thou couldst spare?"

"Perhaps," Betty said, wary that the stranger, whom she had already seen to have odd ideas, would lead her into temptation. "Why doth thou ask?"

"With all of our travails last night, mine niece didst have all of her wedding finery stolen along with most of our other goods," Mim lied smoothly, her face expertly melancholy. "Thou art obviously a superior seamstress, and if thou would be amenable to barter, 'twouldst be a great help if we could engage thy services. Without them, I doubteth that we couldst replace her wedding clothes in due time."

Betty's heart went out to their plight, but still slightly wary, she decided to question Mim further. "What couldst thou barter, though?" she asked practically. "Thou didst say that all of thine goods were stolen."

Mim smiled. Betty was shrewd; she liked it. "We still have some coin hidden on our persons," she lied. "And we also couldst help out around here too," she added, as Shego unconcernedly strolled by with a completely full bucket of water that probably weighed close to what Betty did.

Betty's eyes widened as Shego lifted the bucket and dumped it into the horses' water trough with seemingly little effort; her father struggled to do that on occasion. She thought briefly and an idea popped into her head. She had no real need for such strength, but she knew of one who did, especially now that he had been injured. "I shall be happy to assist thee in the replacement of her wedding clothes," she said. "But I asketh not for coin or labor. Instead, if thou pleaseth, thou couldst be a great help to Daniel as he recovers."

"Mind telling me what's going on?" Shego quietly asked Mim as she put the bucket back where it belonged.

"I told her your wedding clothes got stolen and asked if we could hire her to help make some replacements," Mim replied quietly. "I reasoned it was a good excuse for keeping us in town for a few days. She just said that she would indeed help us if you were to help Daniel." She turned back to Betty. "That wouldst be lovely," she said.

"Yeah, lovely for you," Shego muttered. "So what kind of business is Daniel in again?" she asked Betty.

"He is a husbandman by trade," Betty said.

"Sounds like fun," Shego said sarcastically, but Betty didn't pick up on the sarcasm.

"Excellent," Betty said happily. "Let us go thither into the house so I can measure thee and get started."

Shego smiled wanly and all three of them went back to the house. As they knew, Betty was good at what she did, and so Shego was done with her part after only a few minutes. She excused herself and went to go see Daniel after getting directions from Betty. Mim stayed behind and helped out as Betty started to work out the pattern. She peered over Betty shoulder and sighed in appreciation. "I wouldst offer to help thee, but I be a poor seamstress and I feareth that I wouldst do more ill than good," Mim said honestly, watching as Betty sketched the pieces onto the paper and expertly began to cut them out.

"Do not be troubled," Betty reassured Mim as she continued to cut. "'Tis easier for me to do it on mine own than to entrust it an avowed novice. Mine nerves couldst not handle it." She looked up briefly and her eyes crinkled.

Mim laughed in complete understanding. "I wouldst be the same if we were doing anything that I took great pride in."

"Pride be a sin," Betty said, but her impish grin betrayed her jest. Mim smiled. "So what doth thou take great pride in, Miriam?" Betty asked in a friendly challenge,

"Mine writing," Mim said promptly, and Betty looked up, startled.

"Thou canst read and write?" she asked, impressed.

"Canst thou not?" Mim asked apprehensively, worried that she might have caused offence.

"No, I canst, but only because Father believeth that learning is the only way to truly know God," Betty explained. "He thinketh that all should read and interpret the Scriptures for thyself."

"Thy father be wise," Mim said in admiration.

"Thou art correct," Betty said with a smile. She finished cutting her pattern and laid it aside to find some suitable cloth.

"Green," Mim said, answering the unspoken question.

Betty chuckled and grabbed the bolt of emerald cloth. "How doth thou do that?" she asked. "Thou seemeth to know what I thinketh before I sayeth it."

"Practice," Mim replied cheerfully. "Mine, um, husband be not the most communicative of people."

"Doth thou like being married?" Betty asked.

"I had thought that I shouldst not," Mim replied honestly. "But, I wast fortunate to marry for love and love mine beloved I do, so marriage hath made me happier than I didst ever dream possible." Betty studied Mim's face, looking for some sort of duplicity, but found none. She didn't say anything, but her face turned thoughtful as she turned back to her pattern.

KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK

Shego sighed and adjusted her bonnet-thingy as she prepared to knock on Daniel's front door. She had no idea how in the hell she had ended up here; one minute she was getting water and the next her services had been offered in barter for a wedding dress she didn't need so Nana Mim could meddle where she probably shouldn't. Damn but she was a sucker. She knocked and she heard some shuffling inside before the door slowly opened.

Daniel blinked at the sight of an extraordinarily pale woman standing on his doorstep. "How mayest I help thee?" he asked, completely puzzled.

He didn't recognize her; that was a good thing, Shego thought. "I'm Sheila," she said, suppressing the urge to grimace at her full name. "You, um, rescued me and my aunt in the woods last night."

"Verily?" he asked, only partially remembering it.

"Um, yeah," Shego agreed. "So the reasons I'm here are to thank you and to help you out with your chores," she stated, getting right to the point.

Daniel paused, processing that. "I thanketh thee for thy thanks," he said finally. "But thou art a woman; my labors are not for thy kind."

Shego knew he was just trying to be chivalrous, so she resisted the impulse to show him what "her kind" were capable of. Instead, she named dropped and hoped it would work. "Betty personally asked me to help out around here," she said.

"Betty sent thee?" Daniel asked, with obvious delight, and Shego indulged in a silent chuckle. That was one thing settled; if the goofy love-struck look meant anything, the dude was head over heels. "Well, if Betty sent thee, I suppose I couldst use some assistance," he said.

"Thought you might," Shego said, careful not to let him see her smirk.

Shego spent the morning with Daniel in his stable, and much like she had with Mim and Betty, she managed to astonish him with both her husbandry skills and will her strength. Shego, never much one for idle chatter, didn't talk much, but Daniel was quite the chatterbox and they did manage to start a conversation or two here and there. Shego found out a few things about the village, its people and its politics, and by the end of the morning, she had enough information to start making some headway. In a coincidence that Shego wasn't so sure was coincidental, the village was mostly populated by three very familiar-sounding families, the Barkins, the Rockwallers and though Daniel remained the only one, the Directors.

At least according to Daniel, the Rockwallers were for the most part in charge. Not only were they were the richest family in the village, their patriarch, Henry, was also the town's only judge, and his word was pretty much law. He had several children, one of whom was a magistrate like Betty's dad Sheldon. This particular son, Christian, been married to Daniel's widowed mother for a short time, but Daniel's mother had died giving birth to their one and only child, a little girl named Christina. It was because of Christina that the Christian had decided he should marry again, and much to Daniel's dismay, he had set his sights on Betty. Though no one was sure exactly why, the widowed Sheldon had agreed to let them marry, and Daniel caught between his love for his sister and his love for Betty.

"So you see mine dilemma, Sister Sheila," Daniel concluded. "Mine sister doth need a mother, but verily I wisheth it had not been mine Betty."

"Yeah, that really does suck," Shego agreed. "And she's your Betty, is she?" she observed with an arched eyebrow, and Daniel's pale face flooded with color. Shego chuckled and the blush got deeper.

"So, um, if thou couldst be back tomorrow at the same time, that wouldst be of great use to me," Daniel stammered embarrassedly, trying to change the subject.

"I'll be here," Shego replied. "Now I should really get back."

Daniel nodded. "I shall see thee on the morrow, then," he said. Shego smiled at him and left the barn and after a quick look around, Daniel did the same.

Two days passed and Shego and Mim kept themselves busy as Mim's deadline came closer. Mim continued to "help" Betty, which mainly consisted of chatting with her while Betty made Shego a new wedding dress, while Shego did actual chores with Daniel and his animals in the morning and evening. Emboldened by her now-familiar presence, Daniel talked even more than he had on the first day and soon Shego knew more about the village than she probably wanted to know, especially about Betty's fiancé Christian who sounded anything but from the way Daniel described him. Granted, Daniel's opinion might be a little biased, but he didn't seem like the type to lie, and the way he described his brief life with Christian made Christian sound like a real asshole.

So, seeing as she had made the deal with Nana Mim and she still didn't really know which one of them was right, she decided to look Christian Rockwaller up on the afternoon of the second day. It wasn't hard; he had one of the biggest houses in the village and it had his name plastered on it. She thought about doing it the proper way and having Daniel introduce them, but then decided it wasn't worth her time. She rocked at sneaking around, obviously, and this way she could keep whatever anonymity she had left because Rockwaller, although he had heard of her as had everyone else in the village, would never have met her. She didn't know really why this was a bonus, but somehow it mattered to her.

As most of these houses did, the Rockwaller place had an external opening to the basement, and this was where Shego let herself in. She heard voices above her and crept up the stairs without making a sound, easing herself into the first floor storage locker with neither of the people inside being the wiser. From what she could hear it appeared that there were only the two people on this floor and they were both in the kitchen that was off to Shego's immediate left. She went in that direction, and silently opened the adjoining door to give herself a view of the proceedings.

"Lazy, stupid child!" Rockwaller thundered. "Doth thou see the abominable mess that this kitchen be? What hath thou been doing all day? The demons of sloth shall take thee in thy wicked idleness."

Shego, from her vantage point, could see the kitchen and the damn thing was spotless. She really didn't know what this guy's problem was. He raised up a hand as if to strike the little girl and Shego stiffened instinctively, her hand on the doorknob. If that verbally-abusive son-of-a-bitch laid a finger on that poor kid, she was going to fucking kill him. She knew she would, and she, for many reasons, would rather not. "Don't you do it, you son of a bitch," she warned under her breath.

Shego was certain he couldn't hear her, but something caused him to rethink his actions because he put his hand down. "Thou art not even worth mine time," he sneered derisively. Shego took a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself, but it didn't help a bit. Her eyes narrowed, she continued to watch Rockwaller, and it wasn't until he left the room that her anger started to let up. She turned to go back down the stairs into the basement, but the sight of a shaking Christina made her rethink that course of action. She sighed and walked into the kitchen, knowing she was doing nothing but making everything a lot more complicated than it really needed to be.

"Hey there, kiddo," she said in a calming voice as Christina turned in shock.

"Who are thou?" Christina asked in a shaking voice. "Where didst thou come from?"

"The basement," Shego replied truthfully. "You can get in here from the outside that way." Christina, puzzled by her candor, stared at her in childish bafflement but said nothing, so Shego tried something else. "I'm Sheila," she said. "I work with your brother, Daniel."

The puzzled look slowly gave way to one of comprehension. "Oh! Thou art one of the strangers he didst rescue," she realized, a hesitant smile coming to her face.

Shego smiled. "Yeah, that's me," she admitted.

"'Tis very nice to meet you," Christina said happily, her natural cheerfulness coming back. "But why art thou here in mine house?" she asked, after a moment's thought.

"Well, Daniel has told me a lot about you and your dad, and I wanted to meet you, especially after I found out that Betty Barkin was going to be joining your family," Shego said. "She's been really nice to us and my aunt and I both like her."

"As well thou should," Christina said with childish bossiness. "She be one of the nicest people in the world."

"So you'll like having her for a mom?" Shego asked.

"Ever so much," Christina replied, before her face grew sad. "But I wouldst like it better if she didst not have to marry my father to be so. She and Daniel loveth one another so."

Okay, if the ten-year old knew, Betty and Daniel were fooling absolutely no one in this town, Shego thought wryly. "Yeah, I kinda picked that up from the both of them," she agreed and Christina giggled. "So anyway, where's your dad?" Shego asked casually. "I wanted to meet him, too."

"No, thou doth not," Christina said quickly, looking fearfully up the stairs.

At her fear, the homicidal anger came back in a flash, but Shego reined it in. She didn't want to scare the kid. "Well, if you say so," she said, letting it drop. "But anyway, I should get back to Betty's before my aunt gets worried." She headed to the back door and Christina rushed over to open it for her. "Is it okay if I come back, though?" she asked as she exited. Christina beamed, and Shego took that for a yes. "Okay, I'll be back when I can get some free time," she promised and waved goodbye as Christina closed the door.

She thought about a lot of different things as she went back to the Barkin house, and by the time she got there, she had made up her mind. She went up to Betty's sewing room and unceremoniously escorted Mim back their cell. "You were right; Rockwaller is the asshole," she said simply.

Mim mulled that over. "And what do you we propose we do about it, Junior?" she asked, honestly disappointed. She liked Betty well enough that she was hoping that Daniel was not the right answer, because they would be hard pressed to fix anything for fear of interfering. "I would like nothing more than to play matchmaker, but as you have pointed out, if we interfere, your Kim might not be."

"I know," Shego said in frustration. She banged her head gently on the bars and inexplicably came up with an idea. "How long is it going to take Betty to finish that dress?" she asked.

"She wants to make it as festive as she can for you, so she thinks it will take at least another week," Mim replied.

"Then we have a week to figure something out," Shego decided. She plopped down in frustration on the bed. "I just wish we had a way to contact Wade," she said, irritated. "He could get us all the records we would need to tell us who the hell ends up with whom. That way we would know if we were screwing things up."

"We could try activating the Tempus Simia," Mim offered.

"That and your romantic inclinations are what got us into this mess," Shego pointed out. "So, no thanks. Besides, I would prefer not to be accused of witchcraft, which is exactly what would happen if we opened up the vortex here."

"We could return to the woods," Mim countered.

"Well yeah, but why? Again, you're the reason we got into this. Are you suggesting we leave?" Shego challenged incredulously.

"No," Mim admitted with a self-effacing grin. "It just seemed reasonable to point out."

Shego sighed and in spite of herself, chuckled. "Yeah, anyway, we're not using that stupid monkey until we are ready to leave. So I guess we are just winging it," she said, still not thrilled with the prospect, but somehow unwillingly to leave.

"It would appear so," Mim agreed.

And wing it they did over the next few days, learning the intricacies of 17th century life while trying to interfere without interfering too much. Shego was less than enamored of the Sabbath; even as church services went this service was particularly churchy, and she thought it was way stupid that men and women had to sit on the opposite sides of the church. The lack of hot food also made no sense, and if it hadn't been for the day off from the barn, Shego would have considered the day a complete wash.

Mercifully, Sabbath was only the one day, and for four of the five days they had left of their self-imposed time limit Mim and Shego had things like wedding dresses and livestock to keep themselves occupied. Shego also had Christina; the day after she and Mim had decided to stay, she had convinced Daniel that he should bring Christina over to the barn during lunch so she could get out of the house. Daniel had been hesitant, but then had decided it couldn't do any harm, and the three of them enjoyed their lunches together. At least they did until Rockwaller unexpectedly came home midday on Wednesday and discovered that his daughter was nowhere to be found.

After he had torn through his house looking for Christina to no avail, Rockwaller angrily stormed out into the village knowing the two places where she was most likely to be. He pounded on the Barkin's door, and after a few moments, a startled Betty opened it. "How mayest we help thee, sir?" she guardedly asked after she saw how angry he was.

"Where be my daughter?" he demanded.

"I beg thy pardon, but I knowest not," Betty said. "Sabbath wast the last time I did see her."

Rockwaller scowled, nodded curtly and stomped off the porch. It took Betty only moments to realize where his next destination would be and her chest seized up in fear. "We must make haste to Daniel's, Miriam," she said to Mim, who had followed her down the stairs. "Daniel, Christina and Sheila shall incur his wrath if he findeth them."

Mim winced. Shego had told her about how he had treated Christina, and how that had been her motivation for wanting to stay. If Rockwaller was unknowingly foolish enough to try something like that again, Junior was going to thrash him and then all hellfire was going to break loose, perhaps literally. "Yes, we must," she agreed and they both ran out the door.

"So, why art thou so pale?" Christina asked Shego with childish curiosity and candor as she bit down on her apple.

"Christina!" Daniel rebuked. "Thou shouldst not be so forward."

"Eh, it's all right," Shego responded. "I've been asked that question more times than I can count. Well, when I was a kid about your age, a piece of the sky broke off and fell on me and my brothers. Due to um, divine intervention, we weren't hurt, but we had been, um, touched by heaven, and it changed all of us. We all were, um, blessed from that point on and one of the blessings, at least for me and my brother Reggie, was being really pale."

Christina's eyes grew wide. "Verily?" she asked. Shego nodded. "Dost thou have any other blessings?" she asked excitedly.

"Two more. One, I'm very strong," Shego said and Daniel nodded emphatically. "And, the other one, well, I'll show it to you, but you both have to promise you won't tell anyone. That blessing makes people afraid of me because they think I'm a witch."

"But thou art obviously not a witch; thou art far too nice," Christina said flatly. Shego chuckled. "But I promise. And Daniel doth too." She looked at Daniel hopefully and he nodded because he was just as curious as she. Shego looked at them both, and hoping they wouldn't freak out, she lit up her right hand. Christina stared at it for a few stunned seconds before a wide smile spread across her face. "Thou canst produce green fire? That be the best blessing ever!" she said animatedly.

"Verily thou art a woman of many talents," Daniel said with a wondering smile, just as awestruck as his little sister.

Shego smirked; this was going a lot better than it might've and she was grateful for it. She was just about to light up her other hand when a bellow from outside startled them all and she immediately extinguished her hand. "'Tis Father," Christina said fearfully. "I shouldst go."

"You aren't going anywhere alone," Shego said sternly. "We're all going out there." She stood up and crossed the straw-covered floor, opening up the barn door and walking out. Daniel and Christina followed her.

"Get thee back to house now," Rockwaller ordered as soon as he saw Christina.

"She's not going anywhere," Shego informed him calmly as she stepped in front of him. "We're not done with our lunch yet."

"Get out of mine way, stranger woman," he said ominously, trying to intimidate her.

"Yeah, I don't think so," Shego replied as she crossed her arms. Rockwaller snarled and tried to backhand her, but she caught his hand and held it. He struggled and she internally winced as her still-wounded hand protested, but her grip remained sure. "See, that was a really stupid move, Blinky," she informed him in her "I'm now gonna kick your ass" voice. "You don't know me from Adam, so you shouldn't have assumed that you could actually hit me. But now that you've tried, well, now I'm going to have to hit you." She took her unoccupied hand and belted him across the jaw, letting go of his other hand as he crumpled to the ground. He tried to get up, but the blow had been too much and he stayed on the ground.

Betty and Mim and what looked to be the rest of the town picked that moment to arrive and they all gasped at the sight of Rockwaller sprawled out on the ground. "What have you done, Junior?" Mim asked in trepidation.

"He tried to hit me. I hit back," Shego replied, unconcerned.

Mim winced. "We should probably see if he is all right," she said, having had first-hand demonstrations of how hard Shego could hit.

"Be my guest," Shego replied. "The asshole can stay on the ground for all I care."

Mim glared at her and went over to check him out. "He appears to be unconscious," she said after a precursory examination.

"Then I'll haul him back to his house and let him sleep it off," Shego said, coming over to her. She reached down to pick him up only to have her hand unexpectedly slapped away.

"Get thee hence, witch," Rockwaller snarled as he slowly got up to his feet, and the town gasped again. The current outbreak of witchery in nearby Salem was well known and the villagers had thought that the scourge had bypassed their town.

Shego raised an eyebrow. "Calling me a witch; that's original," she mocked. "Although most people use the 'b' version. Got any proof besides your wounded pride, Blinky?"

"No god-fearing woman shouldst be that strong," he accused.

"That's a no," Shego countered. "So, I knocked you out. It could have been a lucky punch."

"No woman couldst ever best a man," Rockwaller declared. "The laws of nature wouldst not allow it." Shego said nothing, and her face remained carefully neutral. Laughing mockingly or knocking some sense into him would probably not help her cause. She shook her head and turned away from him, only to have him grab her arm. "Thou wilt go nowhere. Thou art under arrest for witchcraft," he said menacingly.

"Let go of my arm," Shego said, low and dangerously. He ignored her and her temper snapped. She tensed to throw him off, only to have another hand grab her other arm.

"She be no witch!" Christina declared, trying to pull Shego away from her father. "Leave her be!"

"This be not thy concern," her father said, roughly pushing her to the ground.

That did it. Shego rolled her shoulder and snapped his arm off of hers before grabbing the front of his shirt and hoisting him into the air. She held him steady as he thrashed and after he had tired himself out enough to stop moving, she threw him a good distance across the barnyard. Satisfied, she nodded and went over to Sheldon. "Arrest me," she said. "You know you have to."

"Only if thou art a witch," Sheldon said mildly, making no move toward her. "No evidence hath been presented to convince me of such an accusation." Shego's eyebrow rose and Sheldon shrugged.

The whole town watched as the figure now on the far side of the barnyard stirred, shook his head and picked himself up off the ground. They watched as his rage returned and he turned to take revenge on the source of the rage. Shego tensed, ready for his attack, but as he strode toward her, a completely unexpected person stepped between her and the oncoming asshole.

"If thou toucheth a hair on her head, I will arrest thee," Sheldon said calmly.

"Arrest me?!" Rockwaller thundered. "She be the witch!"

"No, you be the devil," Sheldon countered angrily, and the town was shell-shocked at the accusation.

"Doth thou really mean to oppose me, Brother Sheldon?" Rockwaller asked ominously. "Thou knowest thy debt to me."

"And the time hath come to repay that debt," Sheldon replied loudly and firmly. "I shall no longer stand by and watch thee bring such misery to mine younger daughter, nor will I allow thee to impose it on mine elder daughter by forcing her into this abomination of a marriage."

Mim and Shego glanced at one another. They hadn't been aware Sheldon had any other children but Betty, and from the looks on the faces around them, neither had anyone else.

Sheldon turned to face all of the townspeople. "The time hath come for me to confess mine trespasses," he said, and as he scanned the crowd, he came across Daniel, and Sheldon nodded, turning to face him. He took a deep breath, gathering his thoughts before speaking directly to Daniel. "For mine entire life, I loved thy mother, but she loved thy father and thy grandparents thought it a better match. And it was. She and thy father loved each other so that 'twas a joy to see them. And in time, I was fortunate enough to find the one other woman that was her equal and have a beautiful daughter with her. But then, mine beautiful Nancy died and thy father Daniel was taken, and through our mutual grief, thy mother and I didst find one another again. We didst hope to marry but wickedness intervened." Here he stopped looking at Daniel and turned to face Rockwaller, his brow contracting and his finger pointing in accusation. "And he be that wickedness," Sheldon declared. "He threatened Anne that if she didst not marry him, he would kill her son Daniel as he had her husband Daniel."

That drew a completely understandable gasp from the crowd, and Christian suspiciously paled before trying to deny the charge. "He be mad!" he sputtered. "He hath no proof and accuseth me only out of jealousy."

"I haveth the proof," Sheldon said calmly. "The same proof that thou didst rule as irrelevant in the formal inquiry. I can turneth it over to a just judge and see what he maketh of it." Rockwaller lost more color, and Sheldon pressed on. "Anne hadst no choice but to accept his offer and they were married. But much to our mutual condemnation, we couldst not let go of each other and our adulterous affair didst continue. Within a few months, she was with child. As her punishment, Anne went to be with the Father when Christina was born; as mine, I wast forced to see mine own flesh and blood be reared by a monster." He stopped as his eyes grew moist, but took a breath and continued. "But Brother Rockwaller did not thinketh my punishment to be sufficient. When Betty came of age, he asked for her hand in marriage and when I refused him, threatened to expose mine and Anne's sin and condemn Christina. I recanted and gaveth my permission with the hope that I couldst leave and take both of mine children with me before the wedding took place." His confession done, Sheldon stood before the people of Middleton quietly awaiting the condemnation that he knew had to be forthcoming.

The townspeople looked at one another, but none of them spoke. After a while, Judge Henry Rockwaller stepped up, and most expected him to condemn Sheldon and exonerate his son. "Brother Sheldon, thou hast indeed sinned before God," he pronounced solemnly and Shego got ready to bust a few heads to get Sheldon, Betty, Christina and Daniel out of there safely. "But, verily, knowing what a good and righteous man thou art, and how much thou careth for thine children, I believe thou hast done thy penance and are right with the Creator." A low murmur ran through the crowd, but the Judge ignored it. "I thinketh now that thou shouldst take both of thy daughters home and continue to live in Middleton in peace," he concluded. After taking Christian firmly by the arm, he turned and walked away, and after a moment's pause to consider what he had said, the rest of the town did the same, leaving Betty, Shego, Mim, Sheldon, Daniel, and Christina standing in the barnyard.

Sheldon blinked in surprise and looked tentatively at the young people around him. Mim and Shego, knowing they weren't the ones he wanted to talk to, casually faded into the background and left the four of them alone. Not knowing what else to do, they went back to the Barkins'. As they went upstairs, Shego looked at Mim. "Do we think we're done here?" she inquired with a wry grin. "Everybody's life is all fixed so we can leave to try to fix our own?"

Mim chuckled. "That sounds like a splendid idea," she agreed. They went into their room/cell and gathered up their things, taking off their loaner dresses and slipping back into their normal clothes. They laid their borrowed dresses neatly on the bed, took another look around and walked out, only to run smack into Christina and Betty.

"Thou art leaving?" Christina asked in dismay.

"I'm sorry, Chrissie, but we have to," Shego apologized. "We have to get going or I'm going to miss my wedding."

Christina frowned. "I shall miss thee," she said sadly, but then roused herself. "But thou canst be late to thy own wedding," she decided, with a smile starting to return.

"Tell me about it," Shego said wryly. "I would never hear the end of it." Christina laughed.

"Christina?" came a voice from downstairs. "Where art thou?"

Christina heard and the small smile turned into a wide one. "'Tis Father," she said in a joyous, yet wondering voice. "I must get me hence."

"Go on," Shego said with a smirk, and Christina bounded down the stairs.

That left Betty and she just looked at them for a couple of long moment before speaking. "From all that hath happened and all that Daniel and Christina hath told me, it be obvious that thou art not ordinary women. But I thank thee both for blessing us with thy presence."

"We're just people, Betty," Shego protested.

"That canst create green fire with thy hands," Betty countered wryly and chuckled at Shego's look. "Daniel canst not keep a secret," she said, still chuckling. Shego rolled her eyes. Betty smiled at them both and returned with a bundle, which she handed over to Mim. "I canst see that thou will not take the other clothes, but please take this."

"'Tis the wedding dress?" Mim guessed.

"Yea," Betty confirmed and Mim took it. "Now, go thou in peace, and again, I thank thee," Betty said, with obvious affection. Mim smiled and gave her a hug, and after releasing her, she and Shego descended the stairs, went out the front door, and after strolling down that dirt street one more time, disappeared into the woods.

They found all of their things and added the wedding dress to it. Mim got the Tempus Simia out of her satchel and in her politest voice, spoke to it. "If it please you, Tempus Simia, please take us to my mansion in Middleton in the year 2008," she said.

A red vortex opened up, and Mim looked at Shego. Shego shrugged and Mim sighed before they just decided to go for it and walk through.

"Well what the hell do you know," Shego said, as the Middleton Mansion lay before them on the other side. "Maybe being polite to the stupid monkey worked."

"No, it did not," Mim said, as she scrutinized the house with dread slowly diffusing throughout her. "The house is a ruin, Junior."


	6. Déjà vu

Chapter 6 – Déjà vu

Mid-Atlantic, Nineteen Hundred and Six

Kim sighed as she stared up in boredom at the ceiling of their small cabin. They were only a week into their journey and she had already exhausted every possible diversion on the ship, meaning she was either going to have to find something else to occupy herself or she was going to go freaking insane. She hated having nothing to do and this was the worst case of having nothing to do that she'd ever experienced. Even the beach house, the place she had protested to Shego was too boring, was far better than this. At the very least, the beach house had internet access, miles of beautiful sandy beach and ocean, clouded leopards to play with, and a quaint Mexican town to visit.

It also had Shego, Kim thought wistfully and she sighed again. These last few weeks were the first time in four years that she had spent any significant time away from her sweetie, and it was beginning to dampen her optimism, at least a little. She missed Shego terribly, and though she knew that somehow they were going to figure this all out and everyone would be reunited with their proper partner and time, there was still the slightest nagging doubt that maybe they wouldn't and she would be separated from Shego forever.

"Well, maybe not forever," she thought, knowing that if something happened and she had to become Mim permanently, she would meet Shego again. And that would super suck, she decided quickly. She would have to be Nana Mim to Shego's Junior, meaning she would have to lie on a constant basis to the one person who she had waited decades to see. Kim frowned and sat up, depressed at the thought of a scenario like that panning out. After a few seconds of this pessimism, though, her optimistic nature rebelled and mentally slapped her upside the head. "It's not going to go like that," she assured herself. "Between the four of us, we will figure this out and we will make the wedding."

The thought of her wedding made her smile. She had been looking forward to it so long that is seemed almost surreal that it was almost here. She thought about her depressed mood of just a few seconds prior and it made her smile even more. If she were still that mopey over Shego after four years of living together with all of their faults, annoying habits and foibles out there for daily inspection, then she was confident that their marriage would work out in spite of all the would-be prognosticators who claimed that she had settled down way too quickly and was getting married way too young. Okay, so it was only Bonnie and a few of her gossipy friends that had made that prediction, but Bonnie still knew how to get under her skin and her declaration had made Kim wonder. Now, however, all her doubt was gone, she mused. Getting lost in the past wasn't exactly the way Kim was planning to deal pre-wedding jitters, but, hey it worked.

She got up off of the bed, deciding that she might like a walk around the deck, when a polite knock sounded at the door. She got up to answer it, and after opening the door, smiled indulgently when she saw the nice young sailor who had helped with their baggage on the very first day aboard. She wasn't really surprised; he had been following her around like a puppy since she had been on board, and even though she had made several polite attempts to dissuade him, he was still very obviously trying to woo her. "Um, hi, Peter," she said.

"Good day to you, Miss Possible," he answered cheerfully. "May I escort you in a walk around the deck?"

Kim wanted to say no, but seeing as she had been planning such a walk herself, she found herself unable. "Um, sure, Peter, that would be great," she said. He beamed and she stepped out of the cabin, closing the door behind her. He offered his arm and she took it, and together they went up to the deck.

Sheila and the captain of the ship, her great-uncle Reginald, or Reggie as he was more commonly known, watched as they emerged from below decks. Sheila smirked; when they were in their cabin alone, Kim had made no secret of her annoyance at the young man's unwanted attention, but seeing as they were now here on deck, it seemed that she was still too polite to tell him that his attentions were unwanted. She turned back to her Great-Uncle Reggie to comment on the situation when she noticed he was frowning rather dramatically at the pair. "Is everything well, Uncle Reggie?" she asked, concerned. If he knew something about the young man that could put Kim in jeopardy she would have to interfere, courtesy or no.

"I was about to ask you the same question, Lil," he said, still frowning as he witnessed the young lady he had thought to be his grandniece's companion being quite familiar with one of his sailors. "Is everything quite well in your romance with her, my dear?" he asked in concern. "I do not mean to pry nor to be rude, but she doesn't quite seem like the person that Archie wrote me you were so very infatuated with."

Sheila looked at him with frank shock written all over her face. "Father wrote you that Mim and I were in a romance?" she reiterated, still trying to convince herself that was indeed what she had heard.

"Well, yes, a while ago actually," Reggie said, puzzled. "And just last winter, he wrote me to inquire if I could come to a New Years' Eve banquet that was being held in your honor. He was so happy for the both of you that the letter was practically glowing. I unfortunately had to send my regrets, but I would have loved to have been there."

Sheila frowned. "Father is happy for us?" she clarified. "He knows what our relationship truly is?"

Reggie studied her for a moment before breaking out into a hearty, booming guffaw, causing all of the sailors, a few of the officers and Kim to glance over in curiosity. Sheila flushed in embarrassment, and, mindful of her feelings, the laughter wound down. "I do apologize, Lil," he said, but a smirk was still present on his face. Sheila rolled her eyes, her face still a little pink. "Oh, do come on, Lil," Reggie protested cheerfully. "Did you think your father such a fool that he cannot see love when it is right in front of his face? This is a man who was smart enough to not only invent a contraption that revolutionized the industrial sector, but was then able to turn that invention into a multimillion-dollar business practically all by himself."

"I am quite sure Father has the mental capacity to figure it out," Sheila retorted, still annoyed at his merriment. "I just never figured that he would be happy for us if he truly knew what we were."

"Well, Archie has never been one for convention," Reggie shrugged. "And you are his only daughter, who has had him wrapped around her little finger from the moment you were born. All he has ever wanted is for you to be happy, society be damned."

"Hm," Sheila mused, before turning to look at him critically. "Now that you mention it, you are correct, Father has never really been much of a follower, but you, however, seem to be taking it rather well for someone steeped in the stoic conservatism of the British military," she pointed out.

Reggie smiled broadly. "The British military is far less conventional then people have been led to believe," he said enigmatically, a smirk betraying a deeper meaning.

"So it would seem," Sheila said, a speculative eyebrow creeping up. She wanted to press for elaboration, but she decided to let it lie.

Reggie coughed and changed the subject, directing their attention back toward Kim. "So, is everything well between the two of you?" he asked, as once again his sailor displayed obvious affection toward Kim and she did nothing to rebuke him.

Sheila looked over and after a few moments' of inspection, broke out into a small smirk. "Everything is fine, Uncle Reggie," she assured him. "Um, Mim, just loathes any kind of boredom and I believe this trip has been particularly hard on her. She will be fine as soon as we make land. And as far as your young sailor, she is trying to be polite and she has an almost unlimited amount of patience when overlooking indiscretions in the name of politeness. But it will run out eventually and you may find him overboard."

Reggie looked at Sheila dubiously, but at that moment, Kim and Peter turned, and Reggie could see the beginnings of temper forming around the edges of Kim's face. "Should I intervene to spare him his life?" he asked wryly.

Sheila chuckled. "No, I wouldn't. It will be far more amusing if you let her alone," she said with a smirk.

Peter smiled hopefully as he extended the small trinket towards Kim, and at seeing the honest, dopey desire to please on his features, Kim was immediately reminded of Ron and her temper started to wane. She took a small breath, sighed shortly and decided to end whatever it was that Peter thought was going on between them once and for all. "Thank you, but no thank you, Peter," she said softly, gently pushing his hand back towards him. "I can't accept something like that from you."

"But why not, Miss Possible?" Peter asked. "'Tis but a trifle and meant only to convey my deepest regard for you."

"Yeah, that's the problem," Kim said honestly. "I'm afraid that your regard runs a little too deep. I think you're a great guy, and under way different circumstances I know we could be really good friends. It's just that friendship is all I can offer, and with as kind as you've been toward me, I think that you are aiming for a bit more than friendship."

Peter blushed. "Perhaps," he admitted. He looked at her and a sheepish grin broke out. "So there is really no way?" he asked.

"I'm afraid not," Kim replied with a politely regretful smile. "I'm engaged and as soon as I return to the United States, we're going to get married."

"He is a lucky fellow, then," Peter declared chivalrously. "But I apologize for my incorrect assumption. I had thought you as unattached like the Captain's grandniece."

"Oh, she's got someone, too," Kim corrected him and Peter blinked in surprise.

"Truly?" he inquired. "The scuttlebutt aboard the ship is that she is a young spinster."

"Hardly," Kim said dismissively. "She's been married since last winter. Her um, husband, has been detained by some unexpected circumstances or he would have joined her."

"Well, if the both of you are attached, then it seems the hopes of most of the sailors aboard are in vain and should be summarily thrown overboard," Peter said with a cheerfully disgusted grin.

"Looks that way," Kim agreed good-naturedly.

"It is just as well I suppose," Peter said pragmatically. "I doubt any of us sea dogs would have been good enough for either of you fine ladies anyway."

"You would have been fine," Kim assured him. "We are just both spoken for."

"You are quite the diplomat," Peter said in wry admiration.

"So I've been told," Kim replied with an answering grin.

Peter smiled back and offered his arm. "So where may I escort you, my lady?" he asked.

"I think I'm okay on my own for now, but perhaps you could come to see me this evening?" she offered, and he smiled, doffing his cap respectfully before he returned to his duties.

"I thought you said there were to be fireworks," Reggie protested as Peter quietly moved to the other side of the deck and started to speak with some of his fellow sailors.

"I thought there would be," Sheila admitted. She looked at Kim thoughtfully. "I should see if there is something amiss," she decided. "Please do excuse me, Uncle Reggie."

"By all means," he said courteously. Sheila nodded and went over to Kim.

"Is everything well, FP?" she inquired. "Is the young sailor quite well?"

"Yeah, Peter and I finally worked everything out and he finally understands that I'm involved with someone else," Kim said with palatable relief.

"Ah," Sheila replied.

"Well, I think I'm going to head back down to the cabin," Kim said. "Maybe I can figure out something to do now that I have been out for a while."

"I think I will join you; it seems we are rather distracting at the moment," Sheila observed as all of the sailors whispered among themselves and started looking at her in curiosity.

"Um, that's probably my fault," Kim confessed. "I told Peter that you weren't a spinster but were actually married and it surprised him, a lot. He probably told some other guys and that's why they are looking at you."

"They assumed I was a spinster?" Sheila asked, mildly outraged and completely indignant that they would doubt her ability to secure a paramour.

"Well, why wouldn't they?" Kim asked reasonably, as they disappeared below decks. "It's 1906, and you're what, twenty four? You should have been happily settled into married life years ago and yet, here you are, on Her Majesty's Ship crossing the Atlantic with another girl and no husband in sight. They probably figured that if you weren't married by now, you aren't going to be, hence, spinster."

Sheila scowled. "That is a ridiculous assumption," she harrumphed, irritated.

"Of course it is, and it's inherently sexist because a man can be a 'bachelor' with the assumption that it's his choice and therefore not a negative situation, while women are 'spinsters', which of course carries the implicit meaning that this wasn't a choice and they would be married if they could," Kim answered, recalling the discussion from her recently-finished women's studies class. Sheila looked at her, impressed by the scholarly outburst. Kim shrugged. "But it's not like any of that that matters because you're not a spinster," she continued. "And if you're anything like Shego, you could give a crap about what others think of you anyway."

That got a smile out of Sheila. "No, I really don't put much stock into what others think of me," she readily admitted.

"Well, there you go," Kim answered, as she opened the door to their cabin. She sighed in mild distress as she entered, plopping down on the bed in dejection as she saw those four walls yet again and Sheila looked at her in annoyance.

"Do you really have such a problem with being idle?" she asked in disbelief as she seated herself at the small desk. "Is your day usually so full that you simply do not have any time in which you have to occupy yourself with nothing to distract you?"

"Yes," Kim said honestly. "I've been in school for the past seventeen years and for the past ten of those I have been saving the world in my spare time. Add in a relationship with Shego about five years after that started and no, I never have any time where I have absolutely nothing to do. And truthfully, I like my life like that. This never-ending quiet time is about to drive me nuts."

Sheila raised an eyebrow. "But from what you've told me, you are now finished with your schooling," she pointed out. "So if and when we figure this out and you return to your own time, how do you plan on preventing boredom then?"

Kim frowned; this exact same question had been nagging her in the few weeks leading up to graduation. "I haven't figured that out," she admitted reluctantly, but then she thought of something and smiled. "But if I'm married to Shego, I figure stuff to do is always going to come my way," she said with an affectionate smirk.

"That is all well and good," Sheila answered. "But you have to find something apart from her or you will be putting far too great of a burden on her and she may decide to bolt."

Kim shook her head. "I would have to do something unforgivable for Shego to leave, and I love her too much to do something like that. So she's not going anywhere, even if I am a little high-strung," she said confidently. She looked at Sheila, figuring something out. "Is that what you are scared is going to happen with Mim?" she asked. "That you're going to need her too much and it's going to cause her to leave?"

"Of course not," Sheila said promptly, but Kim knew she had hit a nerve. Normally, she would have been apologetic for making Sheila uncomfortable, but if she was to be psychoanalyzed, turn about was fair play. Or foreplay, as Shego was prone to saying. Kim shook her head a little and sighed wryly before turning her attention back to Sheila.

"Anyway," Kim continued, deftly changing the subject back to what they were talking about. "About the boredom thing, I figure that I might get a job even though I don't need one, or maybe, in a few years, if Shego and I think we are ready, we'll have a couple of kids. That will keep us busy."

"You would have children out of wedlock?" Sheila asked, shocked. Even if their relationship hadn't met with society's scorn, that would certainly cause them to be shunned.

"Well, it won't be out of wedlock, because Shego and I are getting married," Kim retorted good-naturedly.

Sheila looked at her in complete disbelief. "There is no way that society would change so much in so little time that two homosexual women would be able to have children and raise them as a couple with absolutely no societal repercussions," she stated flatly.

"Well, I didn't say there would be no repercussions," Kim corrected her, "And if we lived in some place more narrow-minded we might have issues. But Middleton is a pretty free-thinking town and we won't have any problems there."

Sheila's look betrayed how much she didn't believe Kim's statement, but she decided to say nothing more on the matter. "Yes, well anyway, enough about your future boredom. How are we going to keep you occupied for another week so that so you do not begin to drive me insane?" she asked. Kim shrugged. Sheila thought for a moment before getting up from her seat and going to rummage around in one of the packs. She found what she was looking for and drew a leather-bound portfolio out of the satchel. "Here, maybe this will alleviate your boredom," she said.

Kim took it and opened it to find a sheaf of blank paper. "And what exactly is it?" she asked.

"Mim's writing portfolio," Sheila replied. "I thought that since you were pretending to be her, you might take up her occupation as well, at least for the time being."

"It's not a half-bad idea," Kim allowed, figuring that it would at least keep her occupied. "But there is one little problem. I can't write, like at all. And I much prefer visual stuff to written stuff."

"Then use the paper to draw," Sheila offered.

"I can't really do that either," Kim confessed.

Sheila sighed. "Use the paper for something, FP," she ordered. "Use those seventeen years of education that you have strived so hard to get." She turned and left, suddenly needing fresh air. Kim looked after her, and then pensively looked down at the paper. She retrieved the fountain pen from the spine of the portfolio, and after moment's thought, dated the top and began to write.

Much to Kim's surprise, the writing helped quite a bit with her boredom, and the next week passed by much more easily than the first. The weather remained good and they sailed into Georgetown on schedule. After bidding farewell to Reggie and Peter, they checked into their hotel for the night, and upon their arrival, they were given both a package and a telegram from Wayne. Sheila thanked the concierge for the items, placed an order for dinner to be delivered to their room and she and Kim went up to their room.

It was only once there that Sheila felt comfortable enough to open the package, for she knew it probably contained valuables, and she was correct; the package held several hundred British pounds along with a general map of the southern Guyanian jungle and more writing paper for Mim. Sheila smiled at the sight of paper. "Wayne knows that Mim would be running low on paper by now, and that we may not have any time to buy more," she explained. She carefully concealed the cash within their things and put the map in their satchel. She then turned her attention to the telegram and scowled when she opened up.

"What is it?" Kim asked, concerned.

"Lipsky apparently found a benefactor to finance his trip," Sheila said, still scowling. "Wayne says that he left Middleton almost four weeks ago."

"Meaning he could already be here," Kim realized, frowning as well. Lipsky beating them to the amulet would not work if they were going to be successful in keeping this timeline intact.

"Exactly," Sheila replied. She put the telegram down and paced the room, tempted to pack up their things and leave for the amulet temple immediately, only to glance out the window and realize that the encroaching darkness made such a maneuver completely foolhardy. "We will need to leave as soon as possible in the morning, FP," she told Kim.

"If it weren't getting dark, I would prefer to leave now," Kim replied honestly. "But that's probably really stupid. So early tomorrow morning it is."

Sheila nodded and a quiet knock informed them that their dinner had arrived. Sheila answered it, and after the attendant had laid everything out and left them in peace, they ate in mostly silence as they both thought of about the prospect of Lipsky making it to the temple before they did. After dinner was just as silent as dinner had been and they soon went to bed in anticipation of the early morning they were going to have the following day.

They both woke up before the dawn and after saddling and loading up their horses they left Georgetown and headed south. The vague directions Wayne was able to cobble from what was known put the temple at about 300 miles due south from where they were and much like it had in Africa, it took twelve-hour days of steady riding to get where they wanted to go at a pace that was somewhat fast. Kim, trying to keep her mind off of all of its troubles, namely Lipsky beating them, her longing for her beautiful fiancé and her fiancé's beautiful hovercraft, and her aching posterior, continued to write, while Sheila, as was her custom, took pictures of everything. Mindful of where and when she was and who she was supposed to be, she put as much detail as she could into her daily journal entries, and it was after making one such entry around the fifth of their evening campfires that she paused and broke out into incredulous laughter.

Sheila looked up from the blouse she was repairing. "Whatever is it, FP?" she asked interestedly. "Enjoying writing that much?"

"Um, not really," Kim allowed, letting her chuckles wind down.

"So there is more to the story," Sheila guessed, seeing a wry gleam in her eyes.

Kim paused, not knowing if she should actually share this, but deciding it couldn't hurt, she explained. "Um, well, in the future, when Shego and I came here to help you guys out, we used Mim's journal to figure out where we needed to go, and it was my job to weed out useful information out of all of the non-related stuff that Mim tended to write. Well, after I wrote what I just wrote, I re-read it and it sounded very familiar, and I realized that I think I read it before. So, either I'm remembering what I read and am recreating it, or somehow, what I'm writing now is what makes it into the future, and I'm the one who tortured my past self. Either way I thought it was funny."

"Funny. Hm. Not exactly the word I would use," Sheila answered, rubbing her forehead as the temporal shenanigans gave her a slight headache. "But it is encouraging," she decided. "It may mean that everything is happening as it did before and that you and Mim being switched might not be fouling up Time as much as we thought it might be."

Kim thought about that. "Maybe," she said hopefully.

The next morning they continued through the jungle, and after about a half-day's ride they were in the area that ancient legend had stated the Temple of the Avenging Prism was supposed to be in. They tethered the horses and started to search, but the jungle had changed very little since Kim had/would be there, and she was able to get her bearings rather easily. She led them to the clearing where the temple was and when they found it, Kim stopped and looked up in awe. Now this was a Temple of the Avenging Prism. Colors mimicking the levels that Kim knew could be found within circled around the outside of the stone spiral and the whole building shimmered as though it was made of crystal. It looked nothing like the dull gray cinderblock building that Kim, Shego and Ron had seen when they had come to the temple. After getting her fill of the pretty sight, Kim stopped looking up and started looking around. "Do you think Lipsky has made it yet?" she asked.

Sheila frowned and started to look around herself. She started to make a complete circle of the building and about halfway around she made a gruesome discovery. "FP!" she bellowed. "Over here! Quickly!"

Kim, alarmed by the urgency in her tone, raced around the building, skidding to a halt at the sight of the bloody mess on the ground. It seemed that Lipsky had made it before they did after all. "Oh, no," Kim breathed, a thousand things running through her head as she knelt down beside him and Sheila.

Bartholomew was in bad shape; his left arm was missing completely and there didn't seem to be a single place on his body that didn't have a deep, bloody gash running through it. His eyes were dilated and his breathing was incredibly shallow, signifying that his death was close. Kim, in a slight panic, started to look around for something to rip up to stem the flow of blood, but before she could even dig in their packs, Lipsky took a deep, rattling breath and his eyes unfocused as he slowly let it out. Kim and Sheila watched closely, but his chest stayed still.

Kim sat back on her heels in shock. This couldn't be happening; Lipsky wasn't supposed to die here. He was supposed to be humiliated and sent back to jail, sure, but he wasn't supposed to die. Without him, there could be no Sue, and no Sue meant no Drew and no Drew meant that pretty much her and Shego's entire history would never be. This thought caused Kim's slight panic to become more acute, but she tamped it back down and forced herself to think logically. Bartholomew had died, true, but she was still here in the past, so apparently things hadn't been screwed up that badly. Maybe Lipsky had already fathered whatever kid had Sue and the timeline remained intact.

That thought was a little bit comforting, but it didn't change the fact that he wasn't supposed to die here in this jungle. Kim sighed, completely at a loss, and Sheila, though she didn't know all of the details, could tell from Kim's demeanor that this was not supposed to happen and things might have just been irreparably damaged. "So what should be our course of action, FP?" she asked quietly.

"I have no idea," Kim answered dejectedly before realizing there was one thing that was proper for them to do. "But while we are figuring it out, we should probably give him a proper burial."

Sheila nodded and got up, going over to their things and retrieving the travel shovel from one of their packs. She screwed the cuestick-like handle together and then screwed it into the shovel blade. She put it over her shoulder and Kim nodded, going over to Lipsky and gingerly grabbing him by the ankles to drag him after Sheila into the surrounding jungle. She knew she should be more respectful, but she wasn't as strong as Shego and she doubted she could lift him up and put him on her shoulders. They picked out a nice spot near a pretty flowering plant and dug in silence, trading off the shovel from time to time as the one digging got tired. When it was deep enough, Kim lifted up his shoulders and Sheila his legs and they hoisted him into the grave. As they were putting the soil back over the top of him, Kim heard a suspicious rustling in the jungle surrounding them and she looked up.

"What was that?" she asked.

"A wild animal, perhaps?" Sheila replied.

Kim put down the shovel. "It didn't sound like a wild animal," she said apprehensively. "It sounded more human."

Sheila grimaced, thinking what someone might think if they came across them burying a dead body in the jungle. "Do you think we should pursue?" she asked.

"It might not be a bad idea," Kim agreed. She listened for more rustling and was rewarded with some off to her left. She started to go that direction but was stopped by more rustling coming from her right.

"I will follow that one," Sheila said, anticipating her thoughts. "You go in your original direction." Kim nodded and they split up.


	7. Monkey Wrench

Chapter 7 – Monkey Wrench

Shego looked up at the Mansion, noting the fading paint, broken shutters and overgrown vines that wound around the front. Shit, she thought; as usual, Nana Mim was right. "Stupid fucking monkey," she cursed softly, trying not to use inappropriate language in front of her Nana, but Mim overheard her anyway.

"Cursing the monkey is not going to help, Junior," she said primly. She looked at the statue in her hands and sighed as she put it away. "But I do wager it does make one feel better," she admitted, as it sank in that they were still nowhere they needed to be.

"No, what would make me feel better right now would be to throw that stupid thing against the wall and shatter it into a million pieces," Shego disagreed, her rage warring with the knowledge that destroying the damn thing would put them even further in a bind.

Mim looked at the idol thoughtfully. "That might not be such a bad thought, Junior," she said, still thinking.

Shego looked at her like she was nuts. "If we break it, we can't get home, Nana Mim," she pointed out.

"Perhaps," Mim allowed. "But there is obviously some sort of 'magic' that resides in this stone. What if by breaking the stone, we release that magic? Then perhaps the released magic would put all to right what has gone wrong."

Shego thought about it. "Seems plausible," she said musingly, before realizing exactly what she was saying. "But," she continued quickly, "we have no idea if that would actually work, and there is no way in hell that I am going to get stuck in some god-forsaken whenever-the-hell-it-is without my Kimmie because you had a hunch. No offense, Nana Mim."

Mim smiled, not offended in the least. It was a very nonconforming theory. "No offense taken, Junior," she answered warmly. "But, how do you propose that we rectify the situation? We have tried thrice to use this supernatural object and thrice have we been transported elsewhere. "

"I have no idea, Nana Mim," Shego said dejectedly. She sighed and went to go sit down on the dilapidated front porch. Mim joined her and they stared pensively out into the unkempt front lawn, before Mim decided that all of this moping was pointless and were far better things that they could be doing.

"Well, the time allotted for me to be melancholy has been exceeded," she declared cheerfully. "I am going to go inside and take a look around. Perhaps it will give us some information as to when we are." Shego looked at her and shook her head, before shrugging and getting up to join her. Mim smiled and turned around, heading for the front door. She tried to open it, but it was locked, so she turned to Shego for backup. "Junior, do you think you might be of assistance?" she inquired.

Shego looked at the door and nodded. "I don't think it'll be a problem," she answered, taking a short step back to gather herself before kicking the door in.

With a surprised look, Mim glanced at the destroyed door and then back at Shego. "Yes, well, just for clarification, Junior, I was inquiring as to whether you had your key. I was thinking that it might perhaps still fit in the lock," she explained, her surprise turning into a small smirk.

Shego paused and then smirked back. "Um, oops?" she offered.

Mim chuckled. "Oops, indeed," she said wryly, before gingerly walking through the now-open doorway. Shego grinned and followed her.

The first thing they noticed when they walked into the house was that very little had actually changed in however much time had passed since they had used the monkey. All of the furniture was in the exact same place in the foyer, and when they made the turn into the living room, it looked almost exactly as it had when they had left, right down to the collection of pictures on the mantel. The only thing that had changed was that Kimmie's fastidiously clean house was now covered in dust and cobwebs. "Well, nobody's been here for a while," Shego observed.

"Nobody living at any rate," Mim agreed as she looked around. "I do find it odd that there are no spirits present, however," she said in obvious disappointment.

"Nana Sheila and Kimmie have to be here somewhere," Shego disagreed, trying to cheer her up. "Maybe not here in the house, but, if everything has followed the original script, they should be banished to Earth at this point. They'll find us eventually."

"Banished to Earth?" Mim asked pointedly.

"Um, long story," Shego said hurriedly. "And I'm not sure I should've told you that," she muttered quietly. Mim fixed her with a glare, but didn't say anything. Shego looked sheepish for a second before heading to the kitchen to escape, and she was so caught up in dodging the wrath of Nana Mim that she neglected to see the body that was lying on the tile floor. It tripped her up, and she tucked into a roll to prevent herself from belly flopping onto the hard ground. When she uncurled her body, she found a clouded leopard an inch from her face, scowling at her balefully and growling in its throat.

"Anna?" Shego asked hopefully. The cat's eyes narrowed and it bared its teeth. She did a hasty check underneath and realized this couldn't be Anna. "Chula?" she corrected. At the name he hadn't heard in quite a while, Chula stopped short and backed off just a little, encouraging Shego that she had guessed the right cat. "Hey Chula, it's me, Mommy Shego," she told him, offering him a hand to sniff. He growled, and Shego thought about taking it back, but that kind of a gesture would show weakness, and she couldn't show that in this situation.

Chula seemed surprised that she didn't yank it back, so he extended her the courtesy of actually sniffing it. What he smelled shocked him, and it made him stand down and sit on his haunches. He sniffed again, and as he remembered who that scent belonged to, all his aggression dissipated and Shego found herself with a lapful of purring clouded leopard. Shego smiled and started rubbing his head. "Hey there, boy," she said affectionately.

"I see you found someone," Mim said kindly as she walked into the kitchen, her survey of the living room now done.

"Yup," Shego confirmed, as she tried to dodge Chula's affectionate head-butts. Chula, finally realizing that someone else was in the room, turned around, but didn't move from his place on Shego's lap. "You're a bit big to be a lap cat, bud," Shego informed him. Chula looked at her nonchalantly and made no move to get off of her. "Off," she ordered, picking him up and putting him on the kitchen floor. He pouted as she sprang to her feet. "So, did you find anything?" she asked Mim.

"Not much," Mim admitted. "Everything I saw I have seen before, so none of it was very helpful in deducing when we are."

"Well, Chula is old, but not ancient," Shego observed. "So, I think the stupid monkey might have gotten us pretty close, but not close enough. I guess we just head out into town and see if we can find something that looks like a newspaper or a television?"

"Sounds smashing, if I knew what a television was," Mim replied with a smile.

Shego blinked. "Oh, right," she said. "Well, I'll show you one when we see one. Deal?"

"Fair enough," Mim answered.

Shego nodded. "Wanna come, furball?" she asked the still-pouting Chula. He considered her offer and then jumped up to his feet. She chuckled at him and rubbed his head. "Thought you might," she said. She left the kitchen for the living room and Nana Mim and Chula followed her. They went through the living room together and stepped through the ruined door out onto the porch, only to be suddenly surrounded by an armed, uniformed force.

"Stay where you are and freeze!" a bull-horned voice ordered.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me," Shego grumbled as she put her hands up. Mim gave her a sideways look and did the same. An officer in purple pants, a long-sleeved purple shirt and a face-covering purple helmet cautiously approached them, his/her weapon trained on them as he/she came closer. The officer noted Mim's satchel and made a move to take it from her, and it was at this point that Shego's temper snapped. She was not fucking going through this again. Maybe in the past she couldn't do what she wanted because there was the chance that she could screw something up, but this was apparently the future and it was a future that wasn't even going to exist if they managed to fix anything. So to hell with it, Shego decided. Her face constricted into a snarl and she lit up her upraised hands.

The approaching officer stopped short and raised the visor of its faceguard as its weapon slowly lowered. A feminine face was revealed, and shock and slightest tinge of awe on her face surprised Shego. She hesitated briefly before attacking, unsure of what that look meant, and before she could decide what to do, something else completely unexpected happened.

"Beep, Beep, Be-Beep!" her Kimmunicator rang out, and she looked in bewilderment at the chirping device on her wrist.

"Um, hi?" she asked hesitantly, shutting off her powers and answering it when the shocked officer seemed to be staying put.

"Shego?! Is that you?" a deep bass voice that Shego didn't recognize asked.

Shego focused a little closer on the screen in her Kimmunicator and her eyebrow rose at the strapping figure that wore a familiar face. "Well, you've grown up, Nerdlinger," she told Wade in admiration.

Wade's deep booming laugh reverberated through her wrist. "It's been way too long since anyone called me that," he said in amusement.

"Yeah, like how long?" Shego inquired, still keeping an eye on the uniformed force still surrounding her porch.

"About fifteen years," Wade answered. "I've kept the KImmunicator tracker program on since you disappeared and it was only this morning that it actually started to pick up anything. I hoped that meant you had gotten here."

"Yeah, we did," Shego confirmed. "But we are at the Mansion getting arrested or something, so I not very inclined to stick around."

"The grape-apes got you already?" Wade asked, astounded.

"If by 'grape-apes' you mean the dudes in the purple everything that are pointing guns at us, then I would say yes," Shego replied.

"Shit!" Wade cursed. "I didn't think they would get there so fast." He paused for a few moments, thinking. "Listen," he said. "I know you aren't going to want to, but just go with them for the time being. I'll get some stuff together and catch up with you when they put you on the transport."

"Screw that, Wade," Shego said promptly. "I'm going to take them all out and then Nana Mim and I are going to get the hell out of here."

"You can't take them out, Shego," Wade warned. "They're shielded from any kind of energy weapon. You would have to take them out with brute force."

Shego smirked. "That can be arranged," she said confidently.

"Just please do as I say," Wade pleaded urgently. "You haven't ever faced these guys; you don't know what they are capable of, and I need to see you before you get yourself killed."

Shego sighed. "All right, Wade," she agreed. "But you owe me."

"Fair enough," Wade agreed in relief. "See you in a few, Shego."

Shego grimaced, but the screen went blank and Wade didn't see. She sidled over to Mim, who was still holding up her hands and looking at the officers in the front lawn. "Wade just got a hold of me and he says we should go with these guys, at least for the time being," she said softly.

Mim smiled, happy that they had finally made contact with an ally that this one wasn't covered in fur. "And are we going to follow his advice?" she murmured.

Shego sighed. "I didn't want to," she admitted. "But he really wanted us to, so I said okay."

"If Wade thought it was that critical, it is probably best," Mim said.

"That's what I figured, too," Shego agreed. She looked at the officer that was still looking at her after all of this time. "So what are you here for, Violet Beauregard?" she asked mockingly, figuring that being snarky would snap the officer out of whatever daze she had fallen into.

It did the trick and the woman snapped back to herself. "We came here to arrest you," she answered truthfully. "The Mansion is strictly off-limits to all but the cat and our surveillance indicated that security had been breached."

Shego shrugged. "So arrest us," she said, holding out her wrists in front of her.

The officer scowled, obviously torn. She thought about it briefly and then decided on a course of action. "We won't arrest you," she said surprisingly. Before Shego and Mim could relax, though, she continued. "But, we will still transport you to Headquarters. There is something very wrong here, and the Supreme One will want to see the both of you." She nodded at her men, and the sea of bodies parted. She gestured for them to come off the porch, which they did, and she dropped into step in front of them. She led them to what was obviously a futuristic paddywagon and opened the back, and Mim and Shego clambered in.

"Fabulous," Shego muttered as they seated themselves on the benches. "Some stupid megalomaniac has managed to take over now that Kimmie and I are gone."

"So it would seem, if we are to be transported to the 'Supreme One'," Mim agreed.

"Wade had better know what in the hell he is doing," Shego grumbled.

"Has he ever previously led you astray?" Mim asked pointedly.

"No," Shego allowed.

"Then we should trust his judgment now," Mim replied. Shego scowled, but didn't protest, instead choosing to scowl grumpily at the walls.

They rode in unhappy silence for about half an hour until the van came to a stop. "We must be there," Shego guessed.

"Perhaps," Mim said, as a sound outside the van caught her attention.

"What do you hear, Nana Mim?" Shego asked, noticing that Mim had cocked her ear toward the van wall.

"I thought that I heard some sort of shouting," Mim replied. "But now it appears to be finished."

"Hm," Shego commented. She got up, suddenly restless, and as if on cue, the faint shouting that Mim had barely heard grew into loud shouting that was just outside the van.

"Get away from the doors!" the voice on the outside ordered loudly, and Mim and Shego felt it wise to obey with the fracas that had suddenly sprung up around them. There was a loud blast, and the doors swung open. A brown head popped into the back and the face broke out into a wide smile. "Mimi!" an older Wego said excitedly, and in spite of the situation, Shego smiled begrudgingly.

"You were the best that Wade could find?" she asked sardonically as she and Mim hopped out of the back.

"Nah, we were the best Wade could find," other voices chimed in, and Shego glanced over to find muscular adult versions of Kimmie's little brothers, Tim and Jim, coming through the smoke caused by the door blast. They both smiled cheekily and Shego rolled her eyes.

"Oh, goody, both of the Twinsets. Can we just get out of here, please?" Shego said in exasperation.

"Sure thing, sis. Our ride is just over there," Jim said, pointing to some sort of car that sat just beyond the smoking van.

Shego nodded and they all ran for it. They all got in and after a brief spat about who was going to drive, Tim settled into the drivers' seat and they took off both literally and figuratively. After everyone had buckled themselves in, Tim pushed a button to activate the flight controls, and the car that was now a plane took to the skies. "Where are we going?" Shego asked, puzzled that they would need air transportation to get to Wade.

"Chicago," Willie answered. "The Supreme One controls everything in Middleton and we need some place that's relatively secure."

"She controls everything, period, Willie," Augie pointed out, trying to get Shego and Mim up to speed. "Even Chicago, but so far we have been able to defend the house and keep it out of her grasp."

"The Supreme One is a woman?" Mim asked, amazed.

There was an uncomfortable silence in the car-plane, and it made Shego suspicious. "Okay, spit it out, one of you. Who is the Supreme One?" she demanded.

The men fidgeted before Augie decided to do the honors. "Um, Kim is the Supreme One."

"Kim? My Kim?" Shego clarified. Augie nodded. "But she's dead," Shego pointed out.

"Well, yeah, your Kim is dead," Willie allowed. "But her clone is alive and kicking."

"You are telling that Kimmie cloned herself and then took over the world," Shego reiterated skeptically.

"No," Tim disagreed from the front seat. "Kim cloned herself, used her amulet to take all of Team Go's powers for her clone, and then took over the world."

Shego looked at Willie and Augie and they nodded. "We're just ordinary guys now, Mimi," they confirmed in unison.

"But why?" Shego demanded.

"It's not really safe to talk outside of the estate," Jim said, cutting off the conversation. "We'll be there in an hour and we can talk more then." Shego sighed in exasperation, but said nothing more, and the uncomfortable silence returned and persisted until they landed on the runway at the Goshen estate.

Shego got out and slammed the door in irritation after Mim had gotten out after her. This whole thing seemed like some sort of setup, but she held her tongue until they had made it through the front door. "Now," she said after the door shut, "will someone please tell me what the hell is actually going on here instead of giving me some bullshit story about Kimmie taking over the world?" she requested.

"Unfortunately, it's not bullshit, Shego," another voice informed her, and Shego looked up to see Ron coming down the stairs. He looked older, as did Lindsay, who followed a few steps behind him. "Kim really did take over the world, and now she rules it as the Supreme One."

"But why?" Shego asked, as everyone moved into the downstairs sitting room and sat down.

"It was the only way to save the world," Ron said sarcastically, glancing up as Hego and Mego joined the rest of them.

"Meaning?" Shego prompted.

"Meaning that after you and Mim disappeared with the Time Monkey and didn't come back, things got progressively worse around here. Word got out that you were gone and Kim was dead, and so every villain and their uncle thought they could take over the world. Team Possible and GJ fought them as best as we could, but we were losing, and it was about ten years ago that Kim came up with idea of cloning herself and KC was created. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but…"

"But what?" Mim asked.

"But then it worked too well, especially after Kim got the idea to give her your brothers' powers. KC was then way too powerful for anyone to stop, and soon it went to her head. Within five years –with our help, ironically– she had taken over everything and it was clear we were no longer fighting to save the world from a villain because it had already been taken over by one. When we tried to oppose her, we officially became enemies of the state and now we spend our time doing everything we can to oppose her."

"But you are talking about the clone right? KC? Kim's not doing any of this," Shego protested.

"Kim is KC's most trusted advisor, Shego," Ron replied. "KC doesn't do anything without Kim's approval."

Shego frowned. Taking over the world really didn't sound like Kim, but she had no way to disprove what they had lived through. There was one thing that was bugging her though. "How is it that you guys are still here?" she asked.

"Huh?" Ron asked.

"You guys are the Resistance, right?" Shego asked rhetorically. "And Kimmie and her clone have to know that you are here. If she is she is so awe-inspiringly powerful, how come you all haven't been blasted to kingdom come?"

"Inside informants," Wade answered, coming into the room. "She's tried a few times, but we always know when she's coming." He broke out into a wide smile and came over to Shego, lifting her off of the couch into a bear hug. "Oh, it's so good to see you, Shego," he said sincerely, squeezing the air out her.

"Nice to see you, too, Wade," she wheezed out.

Chuckling, he let her go and pounded her on the back, releasing whatever residual air she still had left in her lungs. "So, where's the Time Monkey? If I can do a quick tech scan of it, I'm hoping to get you guys back to your right time. I've been working on a time travel watch for a while, but there is a critical piece of info I hope I can get from the Monkey to make the watch work correctly," he said.

"Of course," Mim replied, reaching into her satchel and pulling it out to hand it to Wade.

He took it and smiled, turning it over in his hand. "It's amazing that something so unassuming could cause so much trouble," he mused.

"Tell me about it," Shego agreed sardonically.

"No, why don't you tell me about it?" an authoritative voice inquired imperiously from the entrance to the sitting room, and everyone turned around in shock as a woman who could only be the Supreme One swept her cape back and strode into the sitting room with a contingent of guards.

Shego sighed. By the looks on the faces of everyone around her, she was supposed to be in fearful awe of this person, but all she could see was yet another doppelganger of Kim that was not Kim. She hated feeling like a petulant child, but she wanted her Kimmie goddamn it, and this pompous ass of a version just wasn't what she was in the mood for. Even if her Kimmie had engineered this crap future and even if she was a ghost, she was the Kim that Shego wanted to talk to. "Nah, I'd rather not," Shego said dismissively. "Where's the real Kim?" The Supreme One scowled, and Shego realized that she had said the wrong thing. It pleased her to no end. "Ooo," Shego taunted. "Looks like I hit a nerve. I didn't think Supreme Ones had inadequacy issues."

If looks could have killed, Shego would have been immolated where she stood. Such was the angry fire behind the Supreme One's eyes. But, KC had not become the Supreme One by being stupid, and she put a damper on her temper. "So the stories I've heard weren't exaggerating," she said, a wryly respectful smirk coming to her face. "Welcome to the future, Ms. Goshen."

"The name's Shego," Shego corrected tartly.

"Of course it is, how impolite of me," KC said mock-apologetically. She snapped her fingers. "Lieutenant, arrest them all," she said indicating the crowd in the sitting room. "And those two," she said, pointing to Shego and Mim, "are to be separated from the rest of them and brought to my palace in the same transport I'm traveling in."

"Yes, Excellency," the officer said crisply, moving to restrain Shego while signaling his subordinates to start rounding up the others.

"I wouldn't touch me," Shego warned low and dangerously when the officer lifted his hand to grab her arm. The officer ignored her and grabbed her upper right arm anyway. Shego growled and covered his hand with her left hand. She squeezed and broke all of his fingers, causing him to let go. She then used her right hand to grab him by his arm and flung him into the nearest wall, knocking him unconscious. The room froze and with her scowl still firmly in place, Shego lit up, her fists raised. "Come on, you sons-of-bitches," she encouraged the frozen soldiers.

"No one make a move," KC ordered, knowing her men didn't stand a chance and not wanting to fight Shego, at least not yet. "General! I'm in need of your assistance," she stated, and the room gasped as Wade stepped from the group, still holding the Time Monkey.

"As you wish, your Excellency," Wade said, inclining his head.

"You fucking traitor!" Ron shouted, struggling against the officer that held him.

"I should have been the leader of the Resistance, not you," Wade spat. "So I found someone who would appreciate my skills." He turned to KC and handed her the Time Monkey. "Here is the artifact, Excellency," he said.

"Very good, General," KC complimented him. "Now," she said, turning to Shego. "You will come quietly, or I will destroy this and you will never get the 'real' Kim back." Shego's lip curled, but she was stuck and she knew it, so she turned off her powers and slowly lowered her hands. KC nodded and spoke to Wade. "Make sure that she and the other me get into my transport," she ordered. Wade saluted, and he and the rest of the Supreme One's minions gathered up the Resistance and put them onto prison transports much like Shego and Mim had been in before they were rescued. Shego and Mim, however, were put into the cargo hatch of something that looked much more like a hovercraft.

"Fuck!" Shego swore as the craft took off. "I should have known it was fucking Wade, especially after he gave me some bullshit story about needing the monkey for a tech scan."

"Um, forgive me, Junior, but do you always speak this colorfully when you are upset?" Mim asked, mildly shocked and highly amused all at once.

Shego turned, and if it had been anybody but her Nana Mim, they would have seen how "colorfully" she could talk. "We lost the stupid monkey yet again, we are being taken to a lunatic's palace for god-knows-what, and all you can ask me about is my language?" Shego asked incredulously.

"Well, Junior dear, we are stuck up here, so there is no use fretting about what we cannot change," Mim said, cheerfully decisive. "And, besides, we are not in any real danger."

"And how do you figure that?" Shego asked dubiously.

"I have my reasons, but due to the location we find ourselves in, I would rather not say," Mim said.

Her logic was maddening but sound, Shego decided reluctantly. "You are really annoyingly smart, you know that right?" Shego asked wryly.

Mim smiled. "So Sheila tells me at every opportunity," she replied.

"Speaking of whom, where the hell is she? We know that Kimmie's still around, but we haven't heard about Nana Sheila," Shego mused.

"We will see her," Mim said confidently.

"Utter confidence in a Possible. Wow, there's a shocker," Shego said sardonically.

"Well, you are marrying one," Mim reminded her.

"Yes, I am," Shego confirmed pugnaciously. "And if she ever wants to have an 'adventure' again, I'm going to throw her in the plane, take her to Mexico and make her stay in our bed for a week." Mim laughed.

The hovercraft apparently traveled faster than the car-plane and they were back in Middleton within the hour. Mim and Shego, due to their windowless location, had no idea where they were, but after they had landed, the hatch opened to reveal a landing pad on top of a large building. It also revealed a squad of heavily-armed soldiers. "All this for me?" Shego said with a smirk. "I'm flattered that you went through all of this trouble."

"Mother thought it best," KC answered shortly, obviously annoyed by what she saw as an unnecessary show of force.

"And it is, KC," Kim said, suddenly appearing beside her. "You have no idea what she's capable of." She glided over to Shego and Mim. "Took you ladies long enough," she said mildly, and much to Shego's shock, Mim eyes warmed and she smiled.

"Malfunctioning monkey," she explained.

"That's what I figured," Kim said, still showing no emotion on her face. "Bring them to the throne room," she ordered, and the guards surrounded them, forcing Mim and Shego to walk down a long hallway, into an elevator, down another long hallway and into an ornate, high ceilinged chamber that was filled with portraits and busts of Kim, or more likely, KC.

"Wow, someone's modest," Shego muttered wryly. "So what happened between you and Kimmie?" she asked Mim quietly.

"Kim picked up something from living all those years with Lil," Mim answered vaguely.

"Yeah, thanks, that's helpful," Shego sighed. "So, Pale Imitation, why the hell are we here?" she asked as KC came in and sat on her throne.

KC frowned, but kept her cool. "So I can kill the mighty Shego," she said matter-of-factly. "And after I've killed you, everyone will finally know that I'm the best and give me the respect I deserve. That and I plan to use the Time Monkey to further my evil reign."

Shego chuckled. Apparently Kim's honest-to-a-fault nature had been successfully transferred. "Well, sorry to spoil your plans, but you don't stand much of a chance of doing either," Shego replied, shrugging. "The only person who ever defeated me was the real Kim, which you aren't, so after I kick your ass, I'm taking the monkey back and we are going to make sure your crazy ass never exists."

"It's amazing that you've managed to live that long with that smart mouth," KC snarled.

Shego chuckled. "That's because I have the skills to back it up, sweetie," she said with a smirk.

"And I have all of your brothers' powers," KC countered.

"Eh, I got the best one, anyway," Shego said unconcernedly.

"Prove it," KC challenged, leaping up off of her throne, discarding her cape and activating Hego's blue glow all in one fluid motion.

"With pleasure," Shego said, activating her own powers.

Mim watched the fight briefly before looking around for a means of escape. The two combatants were providing an excellent means of distraction, and most of the guards were thoroughly enraptured, but as was to be expected, hers was still doing his duty. Mim frowned, but then she smiled as an idea came to her. "Pardon me," she said, turning her guard's attention toward her face, and not her hands and body.

"Yeah?" he inquired.

"Oh, I did not have a request," Mim replied with a mischievous smirk. "I merely wished that you would pardon me after I incapacitate you." The guard blinked in surprise as her knee unexpectedly came up and caught him in a very sensitive spot. As he tried to recover, she backed off and kicked his weapon skyward, leapfrogging over him to catch it in midair. As she came down, she brought the butt of the weapon down on his head, knocking him out. She smirked, and put the gun's strap over her shoulder as she looked around for a doorway to escape through. She needed to find Wade and that Time Monkey while the Supreme One was well and thoroughly engaged.

"May I be of assistance?" a sultry voice behind her whispered in her ear, and she whipped around to find Sheila.

"I knew we would see you!" Mim said happily. "And yes, you may. Would you know where Wade has got himself to?"

"Look at your wrist," Sheila suggested, with a wry twinkle in her eyes. Mim did so, and found Wade looking back at her.

"Sorry about before, Mim," he apologized. "But right now, the Resistance needs to think that I'm double-crossing them and getting everyone captured was the easiest way."

"I assume this is all a part of Kim's plan to overthrow KC as a contingency if Junior and I are unsuccessful in stopping all of this?" Mim inquired.

Wade's jaw dropped and Sheila cackled softly. "I told you that she would have it mostly if not all figured out by the time she arrived here," she said proudly.

"Well, I was not completely sure until we arrived here and Kim told me she had everything well in hand," Mim offered, a tad embarrassed.

"By observing your tardiness," Sheila guessed with a smile. "I was hoping you would remember that."

"We have only been apart for a month in my reality, love," Mim reminded her. "So, it was not difficult. It also let on that you were involved with the scheme. Where are you, Wade? I would feel better if I regained possession of the Time Monkey."

"Take the door behind you and follow the hallway. I'm in the fourth door on the left."

"Smashing," Mim said, turning around and bolting for the door with Sheila gliding behind her.

Shego noticed her exit and smiled as she continued to battle KC. Pseudo-Kim was pretty good, Shego had to admit. She had learned how to synchronize all of the Team Go powers, and so, at this particular moment, Shego found herself fighting several KCs all of whom had super-human strength. They were all as lumbering as Hego, however, so Shego used her quickness to avoid all of the copies. As she danced around the throne room sending out plasma blasts, she tried to devise a strategy. Beating her would be tough and Shego sighed as she rolled out of the way of a thrown fist. "Why in the hell did you have to give her Team Go's powers, Kimmie?" she grumbled.

"Because I naively thought that she would be exactly like me and she would be able to handle being that powerful," Kim answered.

Shego looked around, but she couldn't see Kim. "That was dumb, Princess," she said shortly as she continued to fight.

"Yeah, I kinda realize that now, Shego," Kim retorted.

"I mean no clone is a true clone," Shego continued. "You had to use a donor egg, right? That means at the very least she has the donor's mitochondria and not yours, and so she's not a true clone."

"Okay, that's a nerd nitpick," Kim objected. "And anyway, there was no donor egg. We used Drakken's technology and she came out as an adult."

Shego brightened. "Does that mean I can use soda?" she asked hopefully.

"No, we fixed that," Kim replied. "The only way to beat her is to get the amulet. That takes away her powers and makes her just me, basically."

"Oh, is that all?" Shego asked sarcastically as more blows came her way.

"I'm sorry, Shego," Kim said sadly. "I was just trying to make things better."

"Well, I do have to admit that makes more sense than you wanting to take over the world," Shego replied. "No worries, Princess. She's good, but she's not you. It won't be a problem." She thought for a second and flipped over a few more KCs' heads. KC made more copies of herself, and Shego continued to flip, but soon found herself backed up against the wall. She tried to fight them off, but she was caught, and soon one particular copy threaded her way through the crowd and grabbed Shego's throat, hoisting her up by the neck.

As Shego struggled, KC laughed. "All of my life Mother has compared me to you and told me that no matter what I did I would never be as good as you. Well now, I'm going to take your powers and then snap your neck, and she will finally have to admit that I'm better than either you or she ever was," she declared.

"No, you're not," Shego gasped, even as she could feel her powers draining. "Because neither one of us would be stupid enough to fall into such an obvious trap. I now know which one is the real you, and I have you within striking distance." She slashed out with her claws, and raked them across KC's chest, drawing blood from the gouges she left. KC's grip faltered, and Shego used the opportunity to grab the amulet and rip it from her neck. Hego's strength left KC and Shego laughed. "You should always listen to your mother, kid," she said, as she smacked KC over the head and knocked her out.

Kim appeared beside of Shego and looked at her unconscious clone. "I tried to warn her," she said.

"Your 'kid' has serious mommy issues," Shego informed her.

"I know," Kim admitted. "But I blame that on your half of her DNA."

Shego arched an eyebrow. "Excuse me?" she questioned.

"Well, I didn't want to tell you this before you fought her, but KC wasn't really a clone. Wade and I engineered her so she was half yours, so she was really more like our kid," Kim said sheepishly.

"And you're blaming her take-over-the world instinct on me," Shego said incredulously.

Kim smiled. "You are the 'evil' one," she pointed out.

"I'm also lazy," Shego countered. "You're the one who can supposedly do anything."

"But I never wanted to take over the world," Kim replied.

"Well, neither did I," Shego retorted.

"Then I guess when you fix this, we'll have to keep an eye on our kids," Kim concluded.

Shego stopped short and looked at KC then back at Kim. "If this is what happens when we have kids, we will have to keep cuffs on our kids," she joked. Kim laughed.

The door slid open and Wade, Sheila and Mim came in. "We waited until it was all clear," Mim explained. "Excellent job, Junior. That was quite a nice plan."

"I don't know if I want to talk to you," Shego said grumpily. "You knew this whole thing was a setup, didn't you? You knew that both Wade and Kim weren't traitors but were actually trying to stop her."

"I was only sure when we got here," Mim said. "I am sorry, Junior, but we were never in a position where I could tell you."

"I guess," Shego allowed. "So, do you have the stupid monkey?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Right here," Mim said, taking it out of her satchel.

Shego took it and brought it close to her face. "Listen, you stupid fucking monkey," she ordered. "This is your last chance. You will open a vortex that will take us to Kimberly Ann Possible and Sheila Liliane Goshen in the year 1906, Common Era, Anno Domini, whatever you want to call it, or you will end up shattered into a million pieces and scattered to the four winds." There was a few seconds' pause and a red vortex opened up behind the Time Monkey. Shego nodded and looked at Mim. She shrugged, gave her ghostly lover a kiss and stepped up beside Shego. Shego winked at her ghostly Kim and they walked through the vortex.

"Ah!" Shego exclaimed as the vortex unexpectedly exited a few feet above ground and she went plummeting toward a bush. Mim fell out after her, and they landed on the bush at about the same time. "Stupid monkey," Shego muttered as she got up off the bush and helped Mim do the same, causing the bush to rustle. "Where in the hell are we now?" she wondered.

"Well, we are in a jungle, which is an improvement over every place else we have been," Mim pointed out.

"True," Shego admitted, before falling silent and signaling Mim to do the same.

"What is it?" Mim mouthed.

Shego pointed to the area in front of her. "People," she mouthed back.

"Lil and Kim?" Mim whispered, and Shego shrugged.

"Then you go left and I will go right; Maybe we can draw them out so we are not surprised again," Mim strategized quietly.

"Good plan," Shego answered and immediately went off to the left. Mim nodded and went right.


	8. If I Could Turn Back Time

Chapter 8 –If I Could Turn Back Time

Southern Guiana, Nineteen-Hundred and Six

Kim paused, listening intently for another sound. Whoever she was chasing was pretty good at being stealthy; she had only heard the tiniest of rustlings since the first two big rustles and even those couldn't be positively as anything other than general jungle noise. But, her instincts told her that those sounds weren't jungle sounds, and so she continued to pursue, stopping every now and again, as she was doing now, to listen for more sound.

She was rewarded with some movement off to her left, and she quickly took off in that direction. She must be getting closer, Kim decided, as whomever it was abandoned the stealthy approach and bolted through the woods. Kim smiled and gave chase, pushing vines and leaves out of her way as she hurdled fallen trees and other obstacles on the ground. The rough and unfamiliar terrain caused her pace to slow and the smile faded from Kim's face as she concentrated on keeping up with the person still in front of her. As the distance between them grew wider, Kim felt frustration bubble to the surface only to have it be replaced with a flash of insight. She grabbed her hair dryer and shot it upward, smirking when she heard the clang of it attaching to a tree branch. She used her momentum to swing herself upward and soon with Tarzan-like precision, she was swinging through the jungle keeping a close watch on the bushes moving beneath her.

The bushes moved until the foliage gave way to a small clearing, and Kim stayed in the last tree she had landed in, waiting for the person to emerge. The bushes moved again, and Kim slipped off the branch, caught it with her hands and used it like an uneven bar to propel herself into the clearing. She landed on something decidedly human, and her momentum caused them to tumble out further into the clearing.

KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK

Sheila snorted in frustration as whatever it was she was attempting to follow did yet another end-around and ended up behind her for what seemed like the third time. She reversed course, causing it be in front of her again and continued her pursuit, grumbling subvocally. Whatever it was, it undeniably human, because a wild animal being so doggedly pursued would not have taken the time to be clever; it would make good its escape without attempting to follow whatever was tracking it.

More rustling to her left startled Sheila and she berated herself for being distracted. She gave chase in that direction, and to her relief, the pursued remained the pursued for a few hundred feet. The rustling stopped and Sheila smirked in triumph as she crept ever closer. She crouched and readied herself for her leaping pounce. She leapt up, but at the last second, her intended target moved and she felt clothing-swathed legs slip from her grasp. Sheila cursed as she hit the ground with a breath-expelling thud, but she recovered quickly and sprang to her feet to continue the chase. She listened briefly, hoping for a clue as to the direction she needed to go in, and when the jungle flinched to her right, she went in that direction, determinedly following the path until she came to a clearing and realized that what she was chasing was no longer there. She sighed in frustration again and looked around. Movement in the trees caught her attention and she looked upward to see a red-headed body hurtling towards her.

KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK

After the tumbling stopped, Kim came to rest on top of a lithe and unmistakably female body. She looked down to see whom she was perched on top of and was rewarded with the most beautiful smirk in the world. "Nice of you to drop in, Princess," Shego said wryly.

"Is that your only rejoinder for whenever I land on top of you?" Kim teased, her giddiness at seeing Shego growing exponentially as she convinced herself that this really was her sweetie.

"No," Shego replied, her smirk taking on a sexy, predatory aspect. "I could say a lot more, but with my Nanas in the jungle somewhere close by, I have to keep it polite."

Kim blushed, but bent down to kiss her anyway. The kiss was long, passionate and heartfelt; they had missed each other tremendously and being back together made them both incredibly happy. They parted reluctantly after a few long moments, but Kim made no move to get off of Shego. Shego chuckled and wrapped her arms around Kim, hugging her with ferocity. Kim returned it with equal fervor, and they lay like that for a while, just happy. Then the bushes rustled and Kim sat up, suddenly re-alerted to the fact they were still in a potentially dangerous jungle. "I think we should go, Sweetie," she said, and Shego grimaced, not wanting to move.

"Eh, I don't care if Nana Mim and Nana Sheila see us," Shego replied.

"I'm not worried about them," Kim said, flipping off of Shego just as Shego made a move to keep her where she was. "There is a lot of other stuff going on."

"Like?" Shego asked, sitting up unwillingly. She glanced around. "Where the hell are we, anyway?"

"Guyana," Kim said, offering her a hand to help her up.

"Guyana?" Shego questioned and Kim nodded. Shego thought for a couple of seconds and looked up at Kim. "But not that Guyana, right?" she asked hopefully.

"No, it's that Guyana," Kim confirmed somberly. "The Temple of the Avenging Prism is right over there. But more importantly, Bartholomew Lispky is dead."

Shego absorbed that. "Holy shit, Princess," she said succinctly, knowing that couldn't be good for anyone's future.

"Yup," Kim agreed and used her ignored hand to grab Shego's hand and haul her up. Shego let out a yelp, and Kim grew instantly concerned. "What's wrong? Where are you hurt?" she demanded, looking over Shego in worry.

"I'm fine, Pumpkin," Shego assured her. "I just hurt my hand in one of our adventures." She took off her glove and held out her right hand, showing Kim the almost-but-not-quite healed gouge in the palm.

"How in the world did you do that?" Kim asked, capturing the hand for inspection and a gentle kiss.

"Um, I kinda caught a sword with my hand," Shego admitted.

"A sword?" Kim clarified.

"Um, yeah," Shego confirmed.

Kim looked at her in alarm and started doing a more thorough search for injuries. Shego squirmed as Kim's hands hit ticklish spots, but she didn't try to stop her because Shego knew that was pointless. "You seem to be okay otherwise," Kim said in relief after her inspection was finished. "But why do you have flour and hay in some parts of your hair?"

"Long story," Shego said shortly. Kim looked at her reproachfully as they left the clearing and Shego knew she wasn't going to get away with a two-word explanation. So, she tried for a seven-word one. "Um, ancient Rome, colonial Massachusetts, and future Middleton?" she offered as they pushed their way through the bushes. Kim arched her eyebrow, and Shego grinned cheekily. "I have pictures," she offered.

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Mim had no idea who she was actually following and evading until Sheila had emerged into the clearing. Her first impulse was to think that it was Junior, but the simply-colored clothes, the glistening braids and the flawless pink skin all conspired to make her decipher her combatant's true identity. Upon that discovery, all semblance of self-control vanished and she launched herself toward her beloved, knocking her topsy-turvy into the clearing.

When they came to rest, Mim ended up on top, and Sheila, having figured out who it was by the ever-so-familiar feel of the body pressed against her as they tumbled, smiled as she looked at the breathless spouse sitting atop her. "Must you always chase me, tackle me to the ground and ravish me when I am attempting to run away from you?" she teased.

Mim blushed, "I never ravished you," she contradicted, before smiling evilly and capturing Sheila's lips. "Well, at the very least, not in the woods. The cabin was much more comfortable," she said saucily after they parted."

Sheila laughed, happy to have her Mim back. "Yes, it was. Besides in the woods, you would have probably frightened the local fauna," she said, causing Mim to blush deeper. "You know you should not challenge me to be wicked," Sheila reminded her in jest when she saw Mim's scarlet hue.

"No, I should not," Mim agreed as she tried to tame her blush. Sheila laughed again and rolled them over. She stood up and pulled Mim up with her. "Should we go find the other two?" she inquired of Mim.

"I do not believe we will have to," Mim replied as two feminine voices came within earshot. They waited, and sure enough, within a few moments Kim and Shego pushed their way through the foliage and joined them in the clearing. Sheila and Mim paused as they turned toward the newcomers, with Sheila being more taken aback than Mim. They had known that their doppelgangers had to exist, and Mim had seen pictures of hers, but it was a little disconcerting for Mim and Sheila to see them for the first time. Kim and Shego, on the other hand, were very used to this situation and continued to chat unconcernedly as they entered the clearing.

"That's you?" Kim asked unhappily as Shego showed her the cell phone picture of her in her Roman garb.

"Why? What's wrong?" Shego asked apprehensively.

"You're just so gorgeous," Kim said petulantly. "I'm sorry I wasn't there."

"Well, we still have the soldier stuff," Shego replied. "I could put that…shit!"

"What?" Kim asked.

"We left all of our stuff at the Mansion in the future," Shego said disgustedly.

Mim frowned. "We did indeed," she said, equally perturbed.

"Well, can't you guys just use the Tempus Simia to go grab it and come back here?" Kim asked reasonably.

"Um, no," Shego admitted. Kim and Sheila looked at her questioningly and Shego sighed. "That's why we went to so many stupid time periods," she explained. "The stupid monkey doesn't work correctly. The only way I got it to bring us here was by threatening it with bodily harm."

"The Tempus Simia does not work properly?" Sheila reiterated. Shego and Mim nodded and Sheila and Kim exchanged worried glances.

"What is it?" Mim asked. "What is it that you are not telling us? Why is it so imperative that the Monkey be working?"

"Lipsky is dead, Mim," Sheila said, and Mim looked at her in shock. "Without a correctly-functioning Tempus Simia, we cannot hope to save him and from what little information I have been able to glean from FP, that does not bode well for their and potentially, our, future."

"FP?" Shego muttered to Kim.

"Future Possible," Kim whispered back and Shego nodded.

"How did Lipsky die?" Mim asked, still in shock.

"I think the temple got him," Kim hypothesized. "He looked all slashed up from the red level."

Shego grimaced as she remembered all of the sharp things that level contained. If Bartholomew was as skilled as Drew, he must have been cut to shreds. "You really think the idiot tried the temple?" she asked.

"From the way he looked, that's my best guess," Kim replied. "So, the only way we can save him is to prevent him from going into the temple."

"And this stupid thing isn't working right," Shego grumbled.

"Perhaps there is a solution," Mim offered, having recovered from her shock. The other three looked at her, and she told them her idea. "Unless I miss my guess, you two should have an extra Tempus Simia head floating about. Maybe we could replace the current head with that one."

"It is a reasonable suggestion," Sheila surmised. "But wouldn't the two heads be the same? The idol is thousands of years old and these are separated by naught but an hundred."

"True, but that may be the issue," Mim guessed. "Perhaps it requires its 'original' head."

"The head is with our stuff in the clearing near the temple," Kim said. "We were, um, burying Lipsky when we heard you in the jungle and started after you."

"Well, it's the best thing we have," Shego decided. "Let's go."

They all trudged somberly back to the clearing, the two time-hoppers noting the fresh pile of dirt by a colorful flower bush. They all averted their eyes and went over to the packs on the other side. Kim picked up her satchel and after rummaging around, pulled out the duplicate monkey head. Mim pulled the monkey out of her satchel and moved it into close proximity to the head, hoping it would clap or give some other indication as it had done before. The Monkey remained motionless and Mim sighed. "What?" Kim asked.

"It claps when it's near something it needs," Shego explained. "And it didn't clap."

"Oh," Kim replied, disappointed. She sighed and reached down to grab her satchel to put the head away, but as soon as the bag was near the Tempus Simia, it inexplicably clapped. The four of them looked at one another. Kim brought the bag closer to the idol and the frequency of the claps increased. She lowered it, and the claps slowed and then stopped, only to resume when she brought the bag back up.

"So what exactly might you have in that bag?" Mim questioned.

"Not much," Kim answered, opening it up again. "Just some supplies and…" Her voice trailed off as she found something and brought it out. "We did find these at the temple," she said, holding out two small things in her palm.

Shego looked into her hand. "Two burned rocks?" she asked doubtfully. "The monkey is asking for two burned rocks?"

"Maybe?" Kim said. She closed her fist around them and walked away, and after she had gone a few paces, the clapping stopped. Kim smiled and returned, and with her returned the clapping. "Yup, two burned rocks," she said happily.

"But what the hell are they?" Shego challenged.

"No clue," Kim responded.

"That's helpful," Shego retorted.

Sheila sighed. "If I may," she interrupted, taking the rocks from Kim. "These things are a necessity for it, or so it would seem based on previous knowledge. It has nothing but itself, so these things have to be parts of the statue. We simply need to find which parts they are," she reasoned. She shifted the stones in her hands and looked for a likely spot on the statue Mim was holding. Nothing on the body seemed to fit, so she tried the head, and she noticed two very small indentations on the opposite sides of the skull. Thinking this might be it, she placed the stones in the grooves, and to everyone's surprise, the clapping stopped. She looked at Mim, but before they could say anything, the eyes flashed red and a small circle of light radiated from the statue. When the light had faded, the small burned rocks had lost their char and were now recognizable ears.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Shego said incredulously. "We've been bouncing around time because the stupid monkey didn't have his fucking ears?!"

"Well, he could not hear us, Junior," Mim pointed out.

"It's a statue!" Shego protested.

"It is a supernatural whose powers and origin are a mystery," Mim countered. "He most likely needed to be whole to work correctly."

"He?" Shego said pointedly. Mim shrugged. "Well, he seemed to know exactly what he was doing when we entered this time four feet off the ground, so I call bullshit that he had no control over himself," Shego stated.

"Now who is giving a statue too much credit?" Sheila interjected, not liking Shego's attitude towards Mim.

Shego scowled. Kim saw the sparks in her eyes and she realized that Shego was fairly close to losing her temper, which was a bit surprising considering how Shego had mellowed out in the past few years. But, if the statue had put them through all what it seemed like it had, and all for the lack of two little burned rocks, then she could see Shego's point. "It's okay, sweetie," she soothed, putting her arms around Shego. "We're all together now and now, hopefully, we can use the Tempus Simia to fix this time period so we can have our future."

Shego sighed sharply. She wanted to stay pissed at the stupid monkey, but Kim's gentle touch as doing what it had always done and she felt herself calming down. She glanced back over her shoulder to look at the beautiful face nestled in the crook of her neck. "I love you," she said, with a wistfully resigned smirk.

Kim smiled. "Likewise," she said affectionately. "Now can we use the presumably fixed Monkey to fix all of this so we can get married?"

"Only if the stupid pieces of charcoal actually fixed the stupid thing," Shego replied grumpily.

"Well, we can always test it," Kim offered.

"How?" Shego asked.

"We can return to the future and retrieve our things," Mim interjected, happy with the suggestion and sensing an opportunity.

"But what happens if we get stuck there?" Shego challenged.

"Well then, we help ourselves defeat the Supreme One, and inform them not to attempt using the Monkey to return to that future," Mim said decisively.

"Supreme One?" Kim murmured into Shego's ear.

"Um, a clone of you that took over the world," Shego explained quietly. "That was the 'future Middleton' I told you about before."

"My clone took over the world?" Kim asked skeptically.

"Well, technically, she was more like our kid, and she did have all of Team Go's powers," Shego clarified.

Kim pondered that. "Okay then," she said after a pause. "So, anyway, are you two going to try it?"

"Wait a moment," Sheila interrupted. "How come Mim and this other Me have to be the ones to test the device? You two are already from the future; if you were to become trapped there, it would cause far less damage than having a person from the distant past trapped there."

"Because if we do not go, our things will not be there for us to retrieve," Mim replied, after a moment's reflection. "If Junior and Kimberly go, there is the possibility that they will be trapped there and you and I will be in our correct time. But, if that were to happen, the future that they would be traveling to would not exist. Kimberly's ghost has to be present to instigate the creation of the Supreme One, and that spirit would not exist. The only way to ensure that future's existence is to leave Kimberly here, so should something go wrong, she will be here to become her ghost."

Kim, still holding on to Shego, ran the scenario that Mim was describing through her mind a couple of times, and though she realized that Mim was correct, the fact that she had to die for this future to exist was a little disconcerting, as was the fact that now she knew the Tempus Simia could or could not work correctly, she found herself reluctant to let Shego go without her, lest they be separated forever. "Seeing that Aunt Mim is right and I have to stay here for this future to pan out, why don't the two of you go?" she proposed. "That way, if we all get stuck again, at least we get stuck together."

The other three thought about it, and pretty soon they all realized that it wasn't a bad idea. Sure, they would be decades from where they were actually supposed to be, but at least they would all be together. "That seems equitable," Mim replied, liking this idea quite a lot for a number of reasons. "So what say you, Lil? Up for a quick adventure in the future?"

"No adventure," Shego said curtly, and felt Kim chuckle against her back. "Just a quick trip."

"Of course," Mim said innocently, but no one in the clearing believed her for an iota. "So any idea as to when exactly are we traveling, Junior?" she asked.

"Well, Wade said it had been fifteen years since we disappeared," Shego remembered. "So that would put you in 2023. I have no idea when, though."

"Then I suppose we will just have to trust the Tempus Simia," Mim surmised, and before Shego could protest, she said something to the statue in her hands and a red spiral vortex opened up.

"Are you sure this is quite safe, Mim?" Sheila asked dubiously, eying the vortex with suspicion.

"I have no idea," Mim said cheerfully. "But it shall be ever so much fun to find out." She grabbed Sheila's hand and strode forward, pulling them both into the vortex. It closed, and Kim reluctantly let go of Shego. She sat on the ground and Shego followed suit. They sat on the ground in silence, but after a few minutes Shego spoke up.

"So how long do you think we'll have to wait?" she asked.

Kim was about to reply when a red vortex opened on the other side of the clearing. "Not long?" she said jokingly as Mim and Sheila came into the clearing with satchels in tow.

"Mission accomplished," Mim said happily, brandishing the satchel she carried.

"So we can see," Kim said, also happy due to the fact that the Tempus Simia appeared to be working correctly. "Everything go okay?"

"Quite well," Mim replied, and she couldn't quite prevent the small smirk or blush that appeared on her face.

Shego's eyebrow rose. Well, so much for the "no adventure" thing, she mused. "And just what kind of trouble did you two manage to get yourselves into?" she inquired.

"There was no trouble," Mim answered, sweetly innocent. "We did what we set out to accomplish."

"And what else did you do?" Shego persisted, noticing the smirk had not exactly gone away.

"Only what we set out to accomplish," Mim insisted, but the smirk grew into a full smile.

Shego looked at her speculatively, but Mim's cheeky smile told Shego that she had gotten all of the information that she was going to get out of Nana Mim. "Okay, it seems like the stupid Monkey is working," she admitted, changing the subject. "So how far do you think we should go back to prevent Lipsky from inadvertently killing himself?"

"I would imagine that it would not have to be that far," Sheila mused. "He was still living, albeit in a very wretched state, when FP and I arrived here."

"So what's your best guess?" Shego asked her.

"Perhaps six hours?" Sheila guessed. "I presume we would want to cause as few ripples in time as possible, and that would allow us to save him without causing anyone to know we have gone back. Very few people even know we are out here and none of them would be suspicious of a difference of a few hours."

"Works for me," Shego said. "Any objections?" she asked the two redheads.

Kim shook her head. "Sounds fine to me," she replied. "And if it's not far enough, we can just go back a little farther."

"Nana Mim, would you like to do the honors?" Shego asked. "You seemed to get it to work the last time."

"Certainly," Mim said crisply. "Could you please take us to our current location six hours in the past?" she requested to the statue in her hands. A red vortex opened up immediately, and after a slight grimace, Shego grabbed Kim's hand and they walked through it. Mim and Sheila followed, and the four of them emerged into a clearing that looked exactly like the one that they had just vacated.

"So how precisely are we to know if we are successful?" Sheila asked.

"Um, we hide in the trees and wait for Lipsky?" Kim offered.

"Eh, that works," Shego answered, walking over to nearest tree. Kim nodded and ran toward Shego. She leapt up, and Shego locked her hands, throwing Kim skyward when Kim's feet landed in them. Kim reached out and grabbed a handy limb, twirling around it a couple of times before flipping herself to come to rest on top of it. "You guys need help?" Shego proffered after Kim had settled herself.

Sheila and Mim looked at her but said nothing. "You have spent far more time with her, Mim. Do you believe that she just issued us a challenge?" Sheila murmured to her wife.

"I do not believe that it was intended as one, Lil," Mim replied quietly. "But I do believe we should take it as one." They smiled at one another and separated. Sheila started to run, gathering up her speed before launching herself headfirst toward the ground. She did a handspring and garnered enough momentum to propel herself towards one of the lower branches of the tree. Her strong legs wrapped around it and she dangled momentarily, until Mim, using Shego as a handy springboard, shot upwards and caught Sheila's hands. Mim swung up and gently clambered up Sheila's body until she was on the branch. She reached down and hauled Sheila in, and after they had both sat down she looked down at Shego. "No, I do not think any assistance will be necessary," she said, with a smile.

"Show-offs," Shego muttered, before using the grappling hook on her utility belt to join Kim.

They waited in the trees for about half an hour, and just as they were wondering whether they were when they needed to be, a hubbub emanated from the surrounding jungle and Bartholomew Lipsky stumbled into the clearing, with branches and bits of jungle clinging to his hair and his clothes. "Yup, that's a Lipsky," Shego said wryly, and Kim chuckled. They watched as he crossed the clearing and made his way toward the temple, and after he was out of sight, they all jumped down. "Well, it looks like it's time for us to get going," Kim said.

"You are not going to stay to thwart Lipsky?" Sheila asked, puzzled.

"We can't," Shego answered. "From what we know, you guys did it on your own, and we don't know what we could or would screw with if we stayed."

"That seems logical," Mim said, disappointment evident in the tone of her voice before she brightened. "But we know for sure that we will meet again, so we mustn't be too sad," she said with optimism.

"Yeah, we can't seem to get rid of you guys," Shego joked.

"And what exactly does that mean?" Sheila asked suspiciously.

Kim elbowed her and Shego coughed. "Um, nothing, Nana Sheila," she said hurriedly.

"Indeed," Sheila said, still suspicious.

She would have said more, but Mim forestalled her. "We have to be going ourselves, love," she reminded Sheila. "Otherwise this time travelling will have been in vain." Sheila nodded, and unexpectedly gave Kim a hug. "I will miss you, FP," she said sincerely.

Kim hugged her back. "I will miss you too, Aunt Sheila," she replied before letting her go.

"Do you know how many times I've had to say goodbye to you?" Shego asked plaintively as Mim grew close to say her goodbyes. "And it doesn't get any easier any time I have to do it."

Mim wrapped her up in a hug. "But this really isn't goodbye," she reminded Shego. "Thank you for everything, Junior. I could not have asked for a more smashing adventure."

"You're welcome, Nana Mim," Shego said, hugging her back. Mim gave her one last squeeze and let her go with a smile. She handed the Tempus Simia to Kim and nodded at Sheila and the two of them left the clearing to follow after Lipsky.

Shego watched them go and after a small sigh, gathered up the bundles of things that she and Nana Mim had gathered in all of their travels. "I wanna go home, Princess," she declared.

"Me, too, sweetie," Kim agreed. She looked at the Tempus Simia in her hands. "Um, Mr. Tempus Simia, could you take us home?" she asked, before realizing that was a little vague. "Um, could you take us to our house around May 13th of 2008?" she clarified. A vortex opened up, and by mutual unspoken agreement, she and Shego walked through together. They looked at each other hopefully when the vortex opened into their living room in the Mansion. "It looks like it might have worked," Kim said happily.

"Yeah, but apparently our living room never changes, so I would like more proof," Shego said skeptically. She glanced around, looking for anything that would prove that they were where they needed to be, and she headed into the kitchen to continue her search when nothing of interest showed up. She was heading toward the fridge to check out its contents when she heard a low growl behind her. She turned around, and much to her relief, the cat immediately sat down, indicating that the feline knew her. The cat looked at her for a couple of seconds before turning around and making a beeline for the living room. Shego followed it, and grinned when Anna launched herself at Kim, knocking both of them down to the ground.

"Hello, my sweet Anna," Kim said affectionately, as her clouded leopard purred and rubbed. "Mommy missed you, too."

Shego waited, and within a moment, there was a loud squeaking to be heard coming from the hall. She grabbed Chula up as soon as he hit the living room, rubbing his head before she put him back down. "Well, the cats are the right age," Shego said with a palatable relief.

"We don't have to guess, you know," Kim pointed out, activating her Kimmunicator and putting it on speaker.

"Um, hi, um, Kim?" Wade asked hesitantly when his face appeared.

"Yeah, it's me, Wade," Kim confirmed, and Wade grinned. "So when is it, Wade?"

"About twelve hours after Shego left with Mim," he answered.

"So we are in the right place," Kim concluded happily.

"Looks like it," Wade agreed. "Welcome back, Kim."

"Thanks , Wade," Kim said. "We'll call you tomorrow." Wade nodded and Kim cut off the transmission. She gave her cat one more good rub on the head and jumped up. "Well, I haven't bathed since we were in Georgetown and that was way too long ago," Kim said. "I'm going upstairs to get clean. And you should join me, Smelly," she told Shego with good-natured candor.

Shego was going to protest, but then got a whiff of herself. "You're right," she said nonchalantly. "I haven't had a bath since we left for Africa." Kim grimaced exaggeratedly and Shego raised an eyebrow. "I'm not that bad, Pink," she stated, and Kim playfully waved her hand in front of her nose. "All right, Pumpkin, if you think I smell that bad, let's see how you feel when I've rubbed it all over you."

"You wouldn't dare," Kim said, getting ready to sprint.

"Oh, but I would," Shego replied, pausing for just a second before making a move in Kim's direction. Kim shrieked and took off up the stairs. Shego chuckled and pursued, but Kim was damn fast and she had zoomed down the upstairs hallway, through their bedroom and into the master bath before Shego could catch her, and Shego heard the door lock just as she was turning the knob.

"How am I supposed to get clean if you've locked the door?" she demanded

"Lose the clothes and then I'll let you in," Kim answered and Shego smirked. She retreated into the bedroom, undressed and tossed the clothes in hamper before going back to the door and knocking.

"Are you un-decent?" Kim asked.

"Yes," Shego stated, and the door unlocked. As soon as the door opened, Shego made a grab for Kim to fulfill her promise, but again, Kim was too fast, and she settled into their Jacuzzi tub with a smirk.

"You get clean and then you get me," she said with a grin. Shego sighed and climbed in. Kim promptly dumped water on her head and after making sure her hair was thoroughly wet, added shampoo. She scrubbed, making sure to get out all the flour, hay, twigs, leaves and whatever else Shego had managed to get in her long hair. Shego sighed again, this time in contentment. Kim always did a really good job with her hair and scalp. She started to relax, and Kim chuckled.

"Feeling better?" she asked.

"Well, I'm not feeling as good as I could," Shego answered with a pointed leer. "But, yeah, it's all right."

Kim blushed and dumped more water on her head to rinse. "So did you have fun with Aunt Mim?" she said, making conversation as she finished pouring water through the dark green hair and started to gently scrub the pale green skin.

"Depends on your definition of fun," Shego said wryly. "But yeah, it was nice for the most part. How about you and Nana Sheila?"

"Well, since I spent the whole time worried that I wouldn't get back to you, wearing capris that passed for underwear, traveling the world in what seemed to be the slowest way possible and finding dead bodies of people important to our future, I would say that I've had better adventures," Kim admitted. "But, being in a different time was definitely interesting. And if it was possible, I think it increased my respect for Aunt Mim and Aunt Sheila even more, even if they have been keeping stuff from us all this time."

"Keeping stuff from us?" Shego echoed.

"Well, yeah," Kim replied. "We were a big part of their past, yet they haven't ever mentioned it."

"Eh, maybe they couldn't," Shego said unconcernedly. "So, am I clean?" she inquired, abruptly changing the subject.

"Pretty much," Kim confirmed.

"Good," Shego said. She stood up and brought Kim with her.

"Shego! Put me down," Kim ordered. "I haven't bathed yet."

"You never said you had to be clean," Shego pointed out with a wicked grin as she stepped out of the bathtub.

Kim tried another excuse. "You'll get everything all wet," she protested.

Shego chuckled evilly. "With any luck," she responded, and Kim blushed.


	9. White Lace and Promises

Chapter 9 – White Lace and Promises

Middleton, June 2008, about three days before the Goshen-Possible Nuptials

"Mim, are you quite sure that this is a good idea?" Sheila asked apprehensively as she looked around at the garish décor of wherever in heaven's name they were. She glanced outside and frowned at the paved streets and large buildings she did not recognize, blinking as what could only be future automobiles whizzed by at a pace that did not seem possible.

"Oh, we are quite safe from discovery here," Mim said confidently, as she took a moment to gather herself after walking through yet another time vortex. "Both of our young ladies despise this place, so there is little chance they will stumble across us and ruin the surprise."

"I was not referring to the eating establishment," Sheila answered snippily. "I was inquiring as to whether we should really be interfering in future events."

"From what I have gathered, we have been doing that for years," Mim replied wryly. "So, I believe we are quite safe." Sheila harrumphed, and Mim smiled at her. "Besides, we are not without allies, and they will help us navigate so that we cause minimal damage." She pushed a button on her kimmunicator and waited, hoping that Mr. Load monitored this communication link as much as he seemed to. Within seconds, his face came into view and Mim broke out into a wide grin. "Hello again, Mr. Load," she said, before realizing her breach of etiquette. "My apologies," she apologized. "I should have called you Wade."

"Mim?" Wade questioned, in happy disbelief.

"At your service," Mim replied as Sheila finally realized she was talking into her wrist and came over to see what in the world she was up to. Sheila peered over Mim's shoulder and Wade noticed the extra face.

"Ah, you brought company, I see," he observed cheerfully.

"Indeed I did," Mim confirmed. "Lil dear, please meet Mr. Wade Load," she said holding up her wrist. "Wade, let me introduce you to my wife, Lil."

"Nice to meet you, ma'am," Wade responded pleasantly, and Sheila stared back blankly before her face contracted back into its frown.

Mim looked at her disapprovingly and Sheila realized she was apparently being rude. "Forgive me," she said, snapping back to the situation. "Very nice to make your acquaintance," she said, still frowning at what looked to be a watch.

"It is a future communication device, love," Mim told her, and Sheila became irked enough to ignore her future shock.

"Yes, thank you for stating the obvious, my dearest Mim," she snapped crankily. "I was more concerned with the face than with the device itself."

"Wade is Wayne's grandnephew," Mim explained. "He works with both Junior and Kim, and he will be able to assist us with our surprise."

"Well, if he is as resourceful as Wayne, then I am sure he will do admirably," Sheila replied, a bit more mollified now that she knew the story behind the familiar face.

Wade, his interest piqued after hearing the word "surprise", chimed in now that there was silence and everything seemed cool. "And what kind of surprise might I be helping out with?" he asked, wryly speculative.

"We would like to attend Junior and Kim's wedding," Mim said matter-of-factly. "I was hoping that I had guessed right on the date and that it was somewhere in the near future."

Wade grinned. "I thought that might be it," he admitted readily. "And you made an excellent guess; it's about three days away." He thought for a couple of seconds. "Hm, I can't come and get you, because I am coordinating a lot of the wedding stuff, and I need to be here in case anyone calls. But, I can call my girlfriend. She's one of Kim's bridesmaids, so she can get you all set up with everything that you would need, like a place to stay and more importantly, stuff like dresses."

"That sounds smashing," Mim said.

"Cool," Wade replied. "You guys stay there. I'll call her and hopefully she can be there in twenty minutes or so."

"We will be here," Mim said, and after a cheerful nod from Wade, the screen went blank.

Mim and Sheila looked at one another, and with unspoken assent, sat down at one of the booths. They chatted about inconsequential topics, like the weather and all of the changes that Sheila could see just outside of the window. Mim explained everything that she could, but her time in the future had been brief, so there was quite a bit that she did not know about. They kept themselves occupied by hypothesizing about all they saw, and the twenty minutes passed more quickly than they expected it to.

Monique parked her car in a space in the lot of the Bueno Nacho, putting her car in park and sighing. Wade had been incredibly evasive about who exactly was here, she thought as she closed the car door and walked toward the restaurant. He had said that some relatives of Kim and Shego had gotten lost and needed to be picked up, which seemed reasonable, but then he had also said that she would need to help them get a hotel room and some clothes for the wedding. Who in the hell came to a wedding with no appropriate clothes and no place to stay, she asked herself as she opened the door. It was lucky that Shego's mom and her army of wedding coordinators had pretty much taken over all of the wedding preparations; otherwise, as one of the brides' closest friends she might have been too busy to help. She scanned the restaurant, looking for anyone who might be related to her friends, and she stopped when she spotted a pair in one of the booths by the window. Well, that explained the lack of clothes and accommodations, she sighed. She was so going to kill her pudgy boyfriend when she caught up with him. "Hello, ladies," she said as she approached their booth. "I'm Wade's girlfriend, Monique."

Mim and Sheila stopped their conversation and looked up. Mim scooted out from her side and stood up, extending her hand. "I am Mim Possible and this is Sheila Goshen," she said, indicating Sheila who herself had slid out of the booth and stood up.

"Very nice to meet you," Monique replied, shaking the outstretched hand. "Although I must admit that we've met before. You just weren't alive."

"Ah, yes, our ghosts," Mim answered with a smile. "I have had dealings with them."

"Our ghosts?" Sheila questioned.

Mim nodded. "We still haunt the Mansion," she said. "When I was here before, you and Kim were the ghosts." Sheila looked at her as if she had gone mad. Mim shrugged.

"Um, yeah, in this time you are ghosts, so that's probably one reason we should get you guys out of here," Monique answered, indicating the door. They all started heading toward it, and only then did Sheila notice all of the curious stares that they were getting. "The other reason is that you both look exactly like the brides," Monique continued as they exited and headed toward her car. "So you are either going to scare most people who see you or you are going to confuse the crap out them." She unlocked the doors and Mim, knowing how they worked, opened the door and gestured for Sheila to get in. She did and Mim followed her. Monique climbed in and after she got them going, she called Wade.

"So, how'd it go, sweetie?" he asked tentatively.

"Don't you 'how'd it go, sweetie' me," Monique ordered. "I don't appreciate being ambushed like that. You are lucky that I know how much Kim and Shego love these ladies or you might be short one girlfriend."

"Noted," Wade mumbled dejectedly. "So, what can I help you with?" he asked, changing the subject.

"I need you to book these ladies a room at the Ritz," she answered. "Get them the penthouse so that no one bothers them, and make sure they have an account for food and stuff so they can order room service and don't have to leave their room. We need to keep them hidden until the wedding so we don't add to the wedding chaos."

"Okay," Wade agreed. "I'll have it booked as soon as I can."

"In the meantime, I'm going to get them some clothes," Monique said. "They can't go the wedding in khakis."

"They have all kinds of clothes at the Mansion," Wade offered, trying to be helpful.

"Yeah, all from last century," Monique retorted dismissively. "Bye, Wade."

"Bye," Wade replied, knowing he was in trouble if she had called him Wade.

"So what will it be ladies?" she asked turning her attention to her guests. "Dresses or tuxedos?"

Mim and Sheila looked at one another in surprise. "Do you mean to imply that it would be proper to wear pants to a formal occasion?" Mim asked skeptically.

"Of course it would be," Monique said unconcernedly. "So, what's your preference?"

"I would feel improper in anything that was not a gown," Sheila said promptly.

Mim hesitated briefly. She really did prefer pants in most situations, and the thought of a tuxedo was tempting, but eventually propriety won out and she reluctantly did what was proper. "A gown is probably best," she said finally.

"Okay, gowns it is," Monique agreed. They stopped for a red light, and during the pause, Monique thought about where to take them. As she thought, she had a flash of inspiration, and suddenly her choice became much tougher. She debated with herself as the light stayed red, but as soon as it had turned green, she had made her choice. Kim and Shego might get pissed at her over it, but then again, they might be ecstatic, so she decided to take a chance. After a few more minutes of driving, they pulled in front of a window-lined shop on Middleton's main drag. "We're here," Monique announced, as she put the car in park.

"And where are we?" Mim asked as they all climbed out.

"My studio," Monique answered, walking up to the front door. "I'm the designer for all of the wedding attendants' clothing and, if you two are going to be bridesmaids, you'll need to match everyone else."

"We are going to be bridesmaids?" Sheila questioned.

"Of course," Monique said promptly. "If you've travelled through time and space and you are here alive, the girls are going to want you in their wedding parties. I'm just saving time by getting the process started." Well, at least she sounded confident, she thought, as she opened the door and turned on the lights.

"But will three days be enough to make two dresses?" Mim asked reasonably.

"It is if your boyfriend is a technological wizard," Monique answered smugly. "All I need is your measurements and the proper material. Of course I'll have to do some stuff by hand, but the dresses will be mostly finished in about three hours." She went over to the desk and pulled out a notebook and her measuring tape. "Please stand there," she told Mim, pointing to a small riser that stood in the middle of the room. Mim did as she was told and with professional precision, Monique had all the measurements she needed in just a few minutes. Mim hopped off the box and Sheila took her place, figuring Monique needed to measure her as well. She did, and after everything had been jotted down on her notepad, she went to the large box in the back of the room. She pushed a button and the machine sprang to life. She tapped on the screen that lit up and the machine started whirring, much to the surprise of the other two present. Satisfied, Monique turned around. "Okay, we're going to let that run, and in the meantime, we are going to go shopping."

"Shopping?" Sheila asked. "But I thought this magic machine was going to take care of everything."

"The machine can't make underwear," Monique said bluntly. "And from what I felt, neither one of you are wearing any. It can't make shoes or stockings either. So, we still have some work to do."

"What this time period's fascination is with undergarments, I have no idea," Sheila grumbled. "FP dragged me all over Luanda looking for them."

"I would hope that she did," Mim retorted. "Was she supposed to wear mine?" That caused Sheila to subside and Monique indulged in a chuckle.

She spirited them off to the boutique that was handling the accessories for the bridal parties, and after the shock and pointed stares had ceased, Monique got them to kit out Mim and Sheila with teddies, hose, shoes and jewelry. Mim's were to be green and Sheila's were going to be pink, and Monique offered double their normal fee to make sure that all of their things would be ready for pickup with the rest of the items for the wedding that were supposed to be ready the following Saturday.

With that accomplished, they all piled back into the car, and as she drove, Monique called the florist and arranged for two more bouquets. Satisfied she had remembered everything, Monique drove them to the hotel after calling Wade to get the name the reservation was under. They walked up to the counter and Monique spoke to get the attention of the clerk behind the counter. "Hi, I would like to check them in," she said. The reservation is under Goshen, Sheila."

At the sound of an "important" name, the clerk became much more attentive and started to tap on his keyboard. "Ah, yes, the reservation is right here. May I please see some identification?" he asked.

Monique blinked. Damn, she hadn't thought about that. She opened her mouth to talk her way out of it, but Sheila spoke before she could. "Are you honestly requiring that I prove my identity?" she asked imperiously. "I am a Goshen. I and my kin have come to this backwater town to attend my niece's wedding, and if someone of my standing is good enough to patronize your establishment, then you should be good enough to take me at my word."

The young man's eyes widened. "I'll have to speak with my manager," he mumbled and bolted over to a man standing toward the edge of the counter. The man glanced over and noticed who was standing there. A shocked look came over his face and he rushed over. He took over the clerk's station and within a few seconds handed two keys over to Monique. "Please forgive the delay," he said with an urgent courtesy. "My clerk was only following protocol because he didn't know who you were. You are on the fifteenth floor in the penthouse."

"Thank you," Sheila said crisply. "It is very nice to see that some people know how to treat a valued customer."

"Would you need some help with your bags?" the manager asked.

"We're fine," Monique said quickly before Sheila could say more. "Could you just point us to the elevators?"

"They are right over there, Miss," he said gesturing to the other side of the lobby. Monique nodded her thanks and the three of them walked away. As they left, they heard the manager reprimanding his clerk.

"And what were you going to do if the manager hadn't crumbled?" Monique asked as they waited for the elevator.

"Bombard him with more hubris until he did," Sheila said smugly.

Monique shook her head as the elevator dinged and the doors slid open. They got in and pushed the button for the fifteenth floor, using the key to activate the button. They rode in silence until the door opened and revealed the front door of the penthouse. "I'll leave you two here," Monique said, handing them the keys and holding the door as they got out. "I'll pick you up in a couple of days so we can finalize the dresses. Order room service and stay in your room, please. I don't want you to freak anyone out or ruin the surprise."

Sheila looked offended and started to retort, but Mim interrupted her. "We will be discreet," she promised. Monique nodded and allowed the elevator doors to close. Mim and Sheila watched them close, turned around, and after taking a few minutes to figure out how the card-key worked, they let themselves into their room. "This is quite magnificent," Mim said as they did a quick survey.

"Yes, it is," Sheila admitted reluctantly. "But what in the world are we supposed to do in here for two days?" Mim grinned and Sheila noted the mischief behind it. "What are you thinking?" Sheila asked cautiously.

"I am thinking we have been apart for several weeks and now we are being compelled to stay alone together in a beautiful hotel room with a rather large bed," Mim answered truthfully, her gaze turning from mischievous to unmistakably lusty as she grew nearer to Sheila.

Sheila noted the change. "Ah, yes. Well, perhaps we can find something to distract ourselves," she said. Mim chuckled and pulled her into a kiss.

The Middleton Mansion, three days later, about eight hours before the Goshen-Possible nuptials

Shego woke up slightly and blinked as the emerging sunlight finally filtered through the blinds and hit her right between the eyes. She mumbled something unfriendly and turned over, reaching for Kim so she could wrap herself around her Princess and be lulled back into sleep. Her grasping hands returned nothing, however, and the lack of Kim startled Shego enough that she became more fully awake. She opened her eyes and looked over at the empty side that was supposed to be filled with adorable redhead. She stared at it for a few moments, her sleepy brain trying to process it, until she finally woke up enough to realize why Kim wasn't there and that she hadn't been there for the last couple of days.

Kim was back in her old room at her folks' and she was there because it had been decreed by the Moms that they at least had to feign propriety and be apart the nights before their wedding. Shego thought it was a bit silly, but the Moms had wanted it, hence, the disorientation of waking up in bed without Kimmie. Fully awake now, Shego stretched, piled up the pillows and leaned back on them, thinking. She really couldn't believe that the day was here. She was actually getting married today, and even with the ceremony just a few hours away, it still seemed surreal. For a lot of reasons, she had never anticipated getting married, but here she was, and after a moment's reflection, she realized she couldn't be happier about it.

She shook her head silently at her own sappiness and went to turn over, hoping to catch a few more winks before the shit storm known as final wedding preparations broke out, but it was not to be. An emphatic knock sounded at her door, and before she could say anything, Lottie bustled in. "What in the world are you still doing in bed, Mimi?" her mother demanded. "We only have eight hours until the ceremony!" Shego grimaced and sighed. It was a damn good thing that she was completely and utterly in love with Kim.

The Possible Residence, about eight hours before the Goshen-Possible nuptials

Kim's eyes flicked around her old bedroom and she marveled at how familiar, yet how strange it seemed. This hadn't really been her room ever since she had moved in with Shego, and now, even though she was totally comfortable in it, it just seemed weird. She shook her head, dislodging the random thought before springing up from her bed like a popped rubber band and bouncing around her room. She was way too wired and she knew it, but she was just so excited that the day was finally here that she found it impossible to hold her energy back. She flitted around some more and thought about going back to bed, but she knew that was pointless so she grabbed her robe to go downstairs. Just as she was putting it on, there was a soft knock at her door. "Come in!" she chirped.

Monique poked her head in. "You aren't even going to ask who's here?" she asked quizzically.

"Why would I do that?" Kim responded. "You have to be somebody I want to talk to."

"Yeah, but I could have been Shego," Monique admonished. "And you aren't supposed to see her until way later."

"Lottie has probably already got Shego so tied up in things that she couldn't get away if she wanted to," Kim objected. She cracked a grin. "And knowing my sweetie, I am positive she wants to," she said fondly.

"Yeah, probably," Monique agreed good-naturedly, still behind the door.

"So why aren't you coming in?" Kim asked, noticing for the first time that most of Monique was still out in the hallway.

Monique winced. "Promise you won't be made at me?" she asked pleadingly.

"Why would I be mad at you?" Kim replied apprehensively.

"Um, because I have known something pretty important for two days and I haven't told you?" Monique admitted.

"Like?" Kim prompted.

"Um, like this," Monique said, opening the door all of the way to reveal Mim, Sheila and Ron.

Kim's eyes widened briefly before her face contracted into thought. Not quite sure if the four of them were in trouble, the people in the hallway stepped into Kim's bedroom and stood there awkwardly. Kim continued to stare, but it took mere seconds for her to figure out how Mim and Sheila got there, and her face broke out into a wide grin. "You scamps!" she said, coming over and pulling them both into a hug. "You used the Tempus Simia, didn't you?" she accused happily. "When you were just supposed to be getting the stuff back from the future."

"Well, yes," Mim confirmed. "We decided on a detour before we returned to our own time."

"And I am so glad!" Kim said happily, hugging them again. "Shego is going to be as thrilled as I am that you're here."

"Um, speaking of which, there's another surprise," Monique said, speaking up.

"There's more?" Kim asked, with happy anticipation.

"Um, yeah," Monique answered. "I know this was way presumptive of me, but when they got here a couple of days ago, I figured you would want them to be a part of the wedding and I had them fitted out as bridesmaids."

"Really?" Kim said, delighted. "That's awesome, Monique. This is the best wedding present that you could have given me!" She wrapped Monique in a big hug, and the three other ladies in the room breathed a sigh of relief at Kim's obvious delight at both the fact that they were there and they were going to be bridesmaids. Ron breathed one, too, even though as a late comer to the shenanigans he would have been the least to blame. "So Sheila's my attendant, right?" she asked, when she had let Monique go. She knew that the Mim from the past would be much more comfortable with Shego and the Sheila would be much more comfortable with her.

"That's what I guessed," Monique replied, relieved that her hunch about preferences had been correct and Sheila needed the pink ensemble.

"Perfect," Kim said. She looked at Mim. "That means that you aren't supposed to be here," she teased.

"Got that covered," Monique replied. She coughed exaggeratedly, and Wade's head popped into the room.

"How many co-conspirators do you have?" Kim joked.

"Enough," Monique replied with a grin. "You two had better get going," she said pointedly. Kim gave Mim another quick hug before she left the room and went after Wade. "Now, you need to get into the shower," she told Kim. "And in the meantime, we will get everything ready to make you gorgeous." Kim flashed another grin and headed off towards the bathroom.

"Well, that went rather well," Sheila offered.

"Yes, it did," Monique agreed. "Let's just hope it goes as well on the other end."

KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK

"What?" Shego barked as a knock sounded on the door.

"Uh-oh. It sounds like she's a mood," Wade said quietly to Hego and Mim out in the hallway.

"Well, with the way Mom has been today, it's not surprising," Hego replied.

"Hm," Wade commented. "Well, I guess there's nothing to do but go in." He turned back towards the door and raised the volume in his voice. "It's your attendants, Shego," he bellowed. "Are you decent?"

"Yes, I'm decent," Shego yelled back. "And get your asses in here. It's about time you showed up." They all looked at one another, shrugged and went into the room. Shego turned to greet them and froze when she saw who was with them. Her head tilted back in surprise, and then she broke out into a wry grin. "I thought I told you two 'no adventure' when you went to get the stuff," she said sardonically.

"I have possession of a time travelling device, Junior," Mim pointed out with a cheeky grin. "And I was not going to waste the opportunity to see your wedding due to your silly little admonishment."

Shego chuckled. "I'm glad you're here, Nana Mim," she said fondly. She turned to Wade. "Please tell me that you've got some sort of machine to make a bridesmaid's dress in less than…"-she looked at the clock on the nightstand-"…six hours," she requested.

Wade blinked. "Well, I do," he admitted. "I designed it for Monique. But we don't need to use it. They got here a couple of days ago, they contacted me, I got a hold of Monique and she figured that you guys would want them in the wedding party. She's already arranged for all of their stuff."

Shego took that in. "You really need to propose," she stated. "And if she catches one of the bouquets, I expect a wedding within the year."

Wade blushed. "Um, I'll keep that in mind," he mumbled embarrassedly.

Shego chuckled at his discomfort and turned to her attendants. "So now what, guys?" she asked.

"You have your hair appointment in an hour, Mimi," her mother said, striding into the room unannounced. "Hello, everyone…" she began, trailing off when she saw Mim. "What in the world is she doing here?" she demanded, almost frantically. "You aren't supposed to be seeing her yet!"

"It's not Kim, Mom," Shego said quickly. "This is Nana Mim."

Lottie paused in her freak-out long enough to ask for clarification. "Your great-aunt Mim?" she clarified. "The one who passed away 21 years ago? The one who is a ghost?"

"Well, yeah, but no," Shego said, knowing she wasn't making much sense. "Um, remember when Kimmie and I went on that trip right after graduation?" she asked. Lottie nodded. "Well, um, we kind of found a time-travel thingy and we met up with Nana Mim and Nana Sheila in the past and now they used that time-travel thingy to come here and see the wedding."

Lottie looked at her and Shego smiled hopefully. Lottie looked at Mim, who also had her best hopeful smile on, and sighed. "Does she at least have a dress?" Lottie asked resignedly.

"She does," Shego affirmed.

"Then I will see if the hairdresser can fit her in," Lottie answered. She took another look, sighed again, and left the room.

"Well, you got her out of here," Shego said, pleased. "That makes you even more of a perfect bridesmaid than you were before." She looked at her attendants. "I have to shower now," she said bluntly. "So, leave, all of you." Her attendants nodded and left and Shego headed towards the shower.

The Middleton Mansion, a few hours later

Shego looked at herself in the full-length mirror, a little stunned at what she was seeing. She was an honest-to-god bride. The upswept hair, the lacy flounces in the dress she was wearing, the emeralds that graced her neck, ears and tiara, the full-length pristine white gloves, they all declared that she was getting married. "Holy fucking hell," she breathed, feeling completely overwhelmed even though this day had been planned for years.

She heard a soft laugh behind her, and she turned to see the ghostly version of Nana Sheila standing behind her. "The butterflies making an appearance?" she asked sympathetically.

"Is it that obvious?" Shego asked wryly.

"The look of terror is rather hard to miss," Sheila admitted. "Especially since I recall seeing such a look on my own face before our commitment banquet."

"I don't know why in the hell I am so scared," Shego said disgustedly.

" 'Tis quite a step, Junior," Sheila answered. "Even as much as you love one another, it is still a new chapter."

"I suppose," Shego said noncommittally.

Sheila chuckled. "And I believe it is time to turn the page, Junior," she said as they heard Lottie coming up the hallway. "We will see you at the ceremony." She gave Shego a cold, wispy kiss in the forehead and disappeared. Shego smiled and opened the door.

Lottie stopped short when the door opened, taking in the sight of her only daughter in her wedding finery. "You're stunning , Mimi," she said, tears forming in her eyes.

"Thanks, Mom," Shego said with a shy smile. Lottie caressed her cheek and smiled. They descended the stairs together, and at the bottom, they met up with the rest of the family and Shego's attendants. Her brothers' and father's jaws dropped open and Shego took that for a good sign. The living Mim looked at her and smiled, as did Wade. "Well, should we get this show on the road?" she asked. Her father offered his arm and she took it. Reggie opened the door of the Mansion and Chuck was waiting in front with the Green Ghost. He opened the door to let her in and she got in as delicately as she could. Her parents came in after her, Chuck shut the door, and the others climbed into their own Rolls. Then they were off.

Kim stared briefly at the flower-draped white Rolls that had pulled up in front of her parents' house before a smile spread over her face. It was really happening, she thought happily. She was really getting married. She turned away from her old bedroom window to see Aunt Mim floating there and looking at her indulgently. "Do you feel ready for this, Kimmie-Ann?" she asked with a gentle twinkle in her eye.

"I feel more ready for this than anything else I have ever done in my life," Kim said honestly. Mim chuckled gently and hugged her, and it still amazed Kim that a ghost could have that warm of a presence.

"Everyone is waiting, my dear," Mim said, as she released Kim. "I will see you when you get there." She smiled at Kim and disappeared just as Monique, Sheila and Ron came into the room.

"The car is here, KP," Ron said.

"Then let's go," Kim decided. Monique gathered up the dress as they left the room and made sure that it didn't trip Kim as she went down the stairs. Her Mom and Dad were waiting at the bottom, and the love and pride in their eyes threatened to make Kim lose her composure and with it her makeup. She took a couple of breaths to steady herself, took her Dad's arm and went to the car. Everyone split up into their various cars and the whole party departed.

The wedding was being held at the Middleton Nature Conservancy, which like the animal reserve, had been one of Mim and Sheila's pet projects when they were alive. It was the most beautiful garden in Middleton and one of the most beautiful in the entire region, and it had a large grassy area that was surrounded by all the beautiful plants. It was perfect for a wedding ceremony and so was booked years in advance, but Goshen money and the Possible name had gotten them the date they wanted.

By design, Shego and her entourage arrived at the Conservancy first. In spite of tradition, they knew in advance that, due to the pictures they wanted to take before the ceremony, the brides were going to see one another before they each walked down the aisle. So, it had been prearranged that Shego and her family would arrive first and then wait for Kim and her family to arrive. That way, they would have their wedding-dictated moment of awe at seeing each other for the first time, yet they wouldn't make their guests wait after the ceremony was finished.

Shego held her breath as the white Rolls-Royce limousine slowly rolled up to the path leading to the central garden of the Conservancy. It stopped gently, and the driver got out and stepped quickly to open up the door on the left side. The doctors Mr. and Mrs. Possible got out from that side and after they had emerged, the driver came around to the right side and opened up the door. Mr. Dr. Possible, who had followed him, stepped in front of him and reached out his hand to help Kim out of the limousine. A hand with a short white glove emerged and Shego forgot to breathe entirely as Kim stepped out of the limo. White lace and satin combined to make a formfitting bodice that clung perfectly to Kim's torso before it reached her hips and flared out into an expanse of satin that ran all the way down to the floor, while at the top, it draped just below the collarbone to reveal the pale white skin of Kim's shoulders and neck.

The dress would have been perfect just as it was, but after she had heard a description, Shego had decided that Kim's neck would be far too bare. The easy solution was to have Kim wear the emeralds she had inherited from Sheila, but Shego had already borrowed those to wear. So, she had commissioned a jeweler to recreate them and add a tiara, but this time using pink beryls like those found in Kim's engagement ring, rather than the typical green ones. He had done a good job, and Kim's jewelry was stunning, as was the rest of Kim, so much so that she had literally rendered Shego breathless.

Kim wasn't having such an easy time remembering the basics, either. From the moment she had stepped out the limo, the sight of Shego resplendent in her own lace, satin and emeralds had forced any thoughts not pertaining to her and her unbelievable beauty right out of Kim's mind. That included paltry things like breathing, blinking and other such trivial nonsense.

The ladies came to a little as their parents came to stand beside them and both sets of Moms and Dads took one of their arms. Archie spoke first, and his voice caught a little as he said the words he had tried to rehearse for most of the week. "Kim," he began, "I know the point of all this is so I can give my daughter's hand to you in marriage, but, if it weren't for you, there would be no hand to give. So, instead of giving my blessing, all I can give you is my deepest gratitude and thanks, and tell you that I am so honored to be welcoming you into our family."

Tears started forming in Kim's eyes, but before she could thank him, her own father started to speak. "Shego," he began, and a smile formed on his lips, "I will admit that you aren't the type of person that I imagined that my Kimmie-cub would marry someday. But, over these past few years, I have found that you are the perfect person for her. You can keep up with her and you can and will protect her, which is an immense relief to an overprotective father like me. But more importantly, you make her happy, and that's all I've ever really wanted for her. So, although today is about making you part of the family, you are already a Possible; now it will just be official."

Shego looked at him, Kim's mother and Kim, and she felt an unfamiliar tightness in her chest. "Thank you," she said quietly, honestly touched. Mr. Dr. Possible smiled at her, squeezed the hand of Kim that he was holding and handed it to Shego. Archie did the same, and the brides ended up with both hands clasped. They smiled at one another shyly before Shego stole a quick kiss, Kim laughed and the emotional tension was broken. All of the parents smiled, Kim took Shego's arm and they made their way down the path to meet up with the rest of the wedding party to start taking photographs.

Except for a few snafus where they had to track down errant members of the wedding party, like the ring-bearing clouded leopard Anna who was climbing trees or the flower-spreading mole rat Doofus who was doing every but what he was supposed to, the pictures went smoothly and soon it was time for the ceremony to start. As she took her place next to Ron, Mim was amazed and grateful at how little commotion their presence had caused. True, they had only met the immediate family and those involved with the wedding, so the guests might not be so accommodating, but at least with those they had met, the person introduced had almost universally smiled, said something along the lines of "I've met your ghost", welcomed them and then gone about their business. Kim and Junior were obviously extraordinary young women, but their lives must be truly remarkable if guests from the past caused such little stir.

The music started and Mim glanced over at Sheila, who was being escorted down the path that was serving as an aisle by Junior's brother Bertie, and smiled. Sheila smiled back and winked, acknowledging how fetching Mim looked in her green bridesmaid's dress. Mim silently took the complement and silently returned it, also appreciative of Sheila's pink-clad form. Pink was typically not Lil's color, but Monique was excellent at what she did, and it was beautiful. And it was not as though Lil had a choice, Mim thought wryly. She was Kim's attendant, and all of her attendants were wearing pink, even Ron, although his pink was in the form of a pink sash and cufflinks that offset his white-tie tuxedo. If she had wanted green, as it was her preferred color, she would have to be Junior's attendant. They were dressed in the same exact style as Kim's, but her dress and the accents of Wade and Bertie's tuxedos were green.

The overture continued, and at the right cue, Anna and Doofus were sent down the path to the wedding trellis. Doofus rode on Anna's back and dutifully flung his pink and white rose petals, while Anna carried the two matching emerald and morganite wedding bands on special clasps on her morganite studded collar. The attendants were next, and after they were given their signal, they started walking down in pairs. Bertie and Sheila came first, followed by Wade and Monique, which allowed Ron, the only official Best Man to come just before the brides. Shego couldn't choose between Bertie and Wade and so had given up picking a Best Man, so no one was offended when Mim ended up coming in with him as a de-facto Matron of Honor.

The crowd stirred at the sight of Sheila and the murmurs got a little louder when Mim walked down the path on Ron's arm. Everyone who had not been privy to the information that there were unexpected guests looked at one another, but all of their silent conversations were cut off when the music suddenly changed, indicating the arrival of the brides. Everyone stood and turned as Shego, Lottie and Archie walked down the path to the trellis, where the newly internet-minted and registered Reverend Lindsay Woolsey stood waiting for them. The Goshens turned and waited, and given their cue, the Possibles started walking down. When they reached the trellis, Lindsay started the proceedings. "Who gives these women to be married?" she asked.

"We do," Lottie answered, before she and Archie stepped back.

"As do Kim's father and I," Anne Possible followed, and she and James stood back.

Lindsay smiled. "Please be seated," she said, and the parents and the congregation took their seats. "If anyone here knows any just cause as to why these two should not be married, please speak now or forever hold your peace," she declared, and as expected, no one had any objections. If there were anyone who had an objection, they wouldn't have been invited in the first place.

Lindsay asked them to join hands and then spoke a few words about love and commitment, and how with such a strong relationship and good role models, Kim and Shego were destined to remain married forever, but, no one was really paying attention. The brides were too busy looking at one another, the parents and close relatives were too busy trying not to cry, and the rest of the audience was either too busy trying to figure out who the bridesmaids were or were trying not to giggle at a naked mole rat using a clouded leopard's head as a booster seat.

Lindsay finally got to the good part, namely the vows, and the audience (and the brides) started to pay attention. "Kimberly Ann Possible, do you take Sheila Miriam Goshen, to be your lawfully-wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?" she asked

"I do," Kim said as she smiled at Shego.

"And do you, Sheila Miriam Goshen, take Kimberly Ann Possible, to be your lawfully-wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?" Lindsay asked, turning to Shego.

"I do," Shego said, and answered Kim's smile with one of her own.

After the standard set of "for richer and poorer, in sickness and in health, 'till death do us part" vows, Kim and Shego had decided to give their own when they presented the rings and with the rings now needed, it was time. It had already been decided that Kim was going first, so she took a deep breath, detached the larger ring from Anna's collar and began. "Ever since I was old enough to realize what marriage was, I, like most little girls, I think, dreamed about the day when I was going to be married. I picked out the place, the dress, the month of the year, the happily-ever-after; every little detail had been taken care of in my ten-year old mind. And as I got older, for the most part, I held on to that dream. Then, when I was sixteen, I met someone who turned all of those plans upside down. Now, though, standing beside you, I realize that my dream was never about the wedding; it was always about the happily-ever-after. And with you, I know that my dream is going to come true, and will keep coming true for the rest of my life." She slid the ring on Shego's finger and Shego kissed her both of hands gently before letting the right one fall to Kim's side.

Still holding on to Kim's left hand, Shego reached down and plucked the other ring off of Anna's collar. "That was so beautiful that I really don't know how I'm supposed to follow that," she admitted softly, and the guests gave a sympathetic chuckle. She smiled at the blushing Kim and began her own vow. "Ever since we got engaged, I've been thinking about this very moment, the moment when I am supposed to declare how much I love you and pledge the rest my life to you. Well, I know I don't really have to tell you how much I love you; you know already that you own me, heart, body and soul. But I do need to promise to give you the rest of my life, and with the kind of work that we do, I always assumed that kind of promise meant being willing to give my life for yours. But the more I thought about it, I realized that, although I would without hesitation, I don't ever want to die for you. I want to die with you as a shriveled-up old lady in our bed at the Mansion with you in my arms and pictures of our kids and grandkids surrounding us. So, that's what I promise, I promise to give you the rest of my life, but only if you will agree to share it forever." She slid the ring on the hand she still held, and looked at Kim.

Kim reached out her other hand to touch Shego's cheek and Lindsay knew there really wasn't much more she could add. "As your love for one another has been declared in front of God and this assembled company, I, by the power vested in me by the all-powerful Internet and the twenty-five dollar justice of the peace registration fee, do hereby pronounce you married for life. You may kiss your bride," she said happily.

Kim blushed and Shego chuckled before she drew her beautiful princess in for their wedding kiss. The crowd erupted in cheers around them and they broke apart, smiling and blushing just a little with their arms wrapped around each other. The recessional started to play and they walked arm-in-arm back, followed by their attendants, their parents and finally the rest of the crowd.

The guests were escorted back to the main building that housed the Conservancy's ballroom, which was where the dinner and reception was taking place. As they all milled about munching on the appetizers that were being circulated by the uniformed servers, the brides and their wedding parties converged back at the staging area so that the brides bustles could be removed and all of the ladies could change out of their heels into lightweight pink, green or white silk slippers, while all of the guys changed from white-tie to regular tuxedo shirts and pink and green bowties and cummerbunds. Now much more comfortable for an all-night party, they returned to the ballroom, just in time to be introduced to the crowd.

They switched up the order of their entry from what it had been in the ceremony, mainly so Mim and Sheila could walk in together. That left Ron and Hego without partners, but Ron was planning to walk in with Lindsay anyway, so only poor Hego was left alone. He was a good sport about it though, even as the others teased him about getting a girlfriend. Mim and Sheila were next to last, and as they waited to be introduced, they finally found a few moments to talk. "That was a lovely ceremony," Mim gushed. "I am ever so glad that we made the effort to come."

"As am I," Sheila agreed finally, and acknowledged Mim's I-told-you-so look with a wry grin. "Although, I must admit I am a little surprised."

"How so?" Mim asked, puzzled. Up to now, the wedding had been one of the most intricately planned and perfectly executed ones that she had ever been to.

"It was so unnervingly traditional," Sheila said. "Except for a few notable differences, it has been like almost every other wedding that I have ever attended."

"And how is that to its detriment?" Min asked.

"It is not, really," Sheila said. "And FP did tell me that things were so much different in her time than in ours. But, I wager I did not really believe things had changed so much that, at least in the insular world that our ladies live in, two women could get married and have it be truly celebrated. Now I see that it is true."

"You are too much of the pessimist, my love," Mim chided her. "It is celebrated in our time too, and our parents are living examples of that. Your family has embraced me with open arms, and my family, especially my father, gives thanks daily for your arrival."

Sheila cracked a grin, but then frowned. "He would not be so thankful if he knew what our relationship truly was," she disagreed.

Mim laughed. "How foolish do you think him to be?" she asked, merrily. "Of course he knows our feelings."

Sheila looked at her, realizing she had been as wrong about Mim's father as she had been about her own, and that Mim had reacted much as Uncle Reggie had. "Very well, I acquiesce; things are not as bleak for us as they could be. But, I stand behind my statement that these young ladies have it much, much easier."

"So they do," Mim said. "But it will give us something to anticipate in our old age." She smiled at Sheila and took her arm, and they waited for the master of ceremonies to call their names.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, would you please welcome bridesmaids Miss Miriam Possible and Miss Sheila Goshen," he announced, and the crowd let out a faint, but still audible murmur now that they knew what their identity was, and those disconcerted by their presence included two well-dressed spirits who were watching the proceedings from above.

"Um, Lil dear, do you remember attending Kimmie-Ann and Junior's wedding?" the ghostly Mim asked her wife.

"No, no, I do not," Sheila confirmed.

"And yet there we are," Mim observed, still trying to figure it out.

"So it would seem," Sheila replied.

Mim thought for a few seconds more. "So, there is something amiss," she concluded.

"Indeed," Sheila agreed, still staring.

"Well then, should we spoil the rest of the evening by being too preoccupied by the puzzle to enjoy ourselves, or should be ignore it for the time being and try to decipher it when we are not in the midst of a significant celebratory event?" Mim asked.

Sheila looked up and thought about it. "I believe the latter is more in order," she said, knowing by the tone of the question that was Mim's preference and agreeing with her sentiment.

"Very well, then," Mim said, and she descended to the crowd below. Sheila followed her, and with the rest of the puzzled crowd around them, they waited for the introduction of the brides.

Ron and Lindsay strode across the dance floor, and when they were across and with the other bridal party folks, the MC gave way to another MC, this one a multi-platinum recording artist who was also good friends with both of the brides. "Now, just to set the record straight, I wanted to MC this entire party," MC Honey informed everyone. "But, Kim and Shego wanted me to be a guest, so this and a couple of guest spots later is all they would let me do. But they did give me one of the important jobs, and I aim to do it right. So, would you please put your hands together and welcome our lovely brides, Mrs. Kimberly Goshen-Possible and Mrs. Shego Goshen-Possible!" The crowd broke out into applause and cheers and Kim and Shego walked smiling into the room.

"And now, Ladies and Gentlemen, if you would please clear the floor, it's time for the traditional first dance," MC Honey requested. The crowd gave way and Kim and Shego took up their position in the middle of the floor as Honey went back to the turntables. She spun a record and as it started, she grabbed the portable mike and addressed the crowd. "My Auntie Anita sends her apologizes that she couldn't be here, but she did say she trusts me enough to interpret one of her signature songs, so I'm gonna give it the best that I got."

Her music cue came and she started singing, her gorgeous contralto slinking out into the crowd, surprising those who only knew her as a lyrical hip-hop artist. It was a medium-paced song, which allowed Shego and Kim to pretty much lose themselves in each other's arms and eyes during the slower parts, but also allowed for dramatic spins and dips during certain crescendos, and the crowd whistled and clapped after Shego spun Kim out, only to be caught, spun herself and dipped. Shego laughed as she was gracefully hauled up, and she kissed Kim. The crescendo over, Honey paused long enough to invite all the other couples to the dance floor, and after a moment's hesitation, the living Sheila took the living Mim's hand and joined her on the dance floor. They were joined by their ghostly counterparts, the doctors Possible, Shego's parents, Ron and Lindsay, Monique and Wade and the rest of Kim and Shego's friends and relatives that had coupled up and could crowd themselves on the dance floor. When the dance was over, MC Honey thanked everyone, and turned the mike back over to the regular MC.

Some of the couples remained on the dance floor as the music continued, but Kim and Shego abandoned it in favor of mingling with their guest and thanking everyone for coming. There were over two hundred people there, but fortunately they were clustered in easily accessible tables and they could thank more than one person at a time. They made the rounds, hugging, thanking and visiting everyone, and when they were done, dinner was served. The brides had a sweetheart table of their own, but everyone else was intermingled, and the Mim and Sheila that had to eat found themselves at the Possible/Director table with Kim's Great-grandma Francis, her Nana Possible, her Grandma Nancy, her Great-aunt Pandora and her daughter Zandra, and her Great-uncle Daniel and his kids, Betty and Sheldon, better known to most in the crowd as Dr. Director and Gemini.

Fran shook her head as they sat down. "Only you two would find a way to make it to this wedding," she said in admiration.

Mim and Sheila were taken aback for a moment before Mim picked up the humor in her tone. "Well, it is not entirely our fault," she replied cheerfully. "There were some mishaps with a monkey relic that both the brides and we were looking for, and had it not been for that, we would not be here."

"You four managed to find the Tempus Simia," Dr. Director interjected with disbelief. "GJ has been looking for that thing for years."

"As has W.E.E.," Gemini agreed. He glanced over at his twin sister and scowled. "I shouldn't have mentioned that," he said disgustedly.

"No, you shouldn't have, Shel," Betty agreed with glee. "Now we know to keep an eye on you."

"Would you two please pack it in for one night?" Zan asked in exasperation. "Otherwise I am going to go crash Ann's table." They glared at her, but she glared back, and the other two subsided.

"So how long have you two been here?" Nana Possible asked, making polite conversation.

"About two days," Mim replied. "Monique had kept us out of sight, though, lest we frighten the local population."

"That seems reasonable," Nancy said. "How long do you think you'll be staying?"

"Just until the conclusion of the reception," Mim said. "We should not stay here any longer for fear we could disrupt time. And besides, Kim and Junior are expecting our return in our own time."

"Ah," Nancy replied, as a server put her dinner plate in front of her. The rest of the table was served and the polite conversation continued as everyone started to eat.

After dinner, there was more dancing, and after the dancing, it was time for the cake. Kim had warned Shego that there was to be no stuffing the cake into her mouth, and for the most part, Shego behaved. She couldn't be completely obedient, though, and a small bit of frosting somehow managed to appear on the end of Kim's nose. Kim wiped it off and promptly put it on the end of Shego's nose, who after realizing what had happened, scraped it off with her figure and vaporized it with her plasma. Kim laughed and grabbed a napkin, using it to wipe off the ends of both of their noses.

After the cake came the tossing of the garters and the bouquets, and because, in spite of all of the evidence to the contrary, this wasn't a traditional wedding, the single guys were going for the bouquets and the single ladies were going for the garters. The garters were thrown first, after being removed, of course, and Shego threw Kim's up so high that it took quite a while for it to come down. It did eventually, and ironically, it was caught by one of the shortest people in the crowd, Lindsay. Kim was much gentler, and Shego's garter made a graceful arc into the crowd, ultimately landing in Monique's outstretched hand.

The bouquets for the single guys were thrown next, and Shego, again turning it into a sport, snapped her arm back to send the bouquet back in a line drive that threatened to decapitate any of the guys that were standing in the front. Everyone in the front ducked, but Kim's cousin Larry was blissfully unaware, and the bouquet hit him right in the face. Everyone winced, but Larry seemed fine, and actually held the bouquet up proudly when it dropped into his hands. Kim, again, did it the more traditional way, and because he was one of the tallest, Hego managed to catch the softly falling flowers.

Everyone clapped and the lucky participants got their pictures snapped before the music started up again and the dance floor started to fill up. The dancing continued for about another hour or so as people including the brides came and went, depending on their taste for the music. When there was a bit of a lull, the ghostly Mim nodded at her wife, and Sheila grinned. They had a request to make of the MC and they were hoping that he would be able to accommodate them.

"Excuse me, good sir," Sheila requested as she came up to the turntables, and the MC's mouth dropped open slightly as he realized that he could see through her.

"Um, yes, how can I help you, ma'am?" he asked hesitantly, after he had roused himself.

"Do you have a limited selection of music or is your library quite expansive?" she asked.

"I have a lot of songs," he answered.

"Would you have 'We've Only Just Begun' by the singing group the Carpenters?" she asked. "It is a bit of a shared joke between one of the brides, myself and my wife, and we would like you to play it for her."

"Of course I have that one," he said pleasantly, now that he was getting used to her presence. "It's a wedding staple."

"Excellent," Sheila said happily. "Could you please play it at your earliest convenience and say it is a dedication to Junior from her Nanas?"

"No problem, ma'am," he said with a smile, and Sheila went back to Mim.

"It is all arranged," she told Mim after joining her.

"Excellent," Mim replied.

The song that was playing ended, and the MC took to the mike. "We have a dedication to one of our brides," he announced, and Kim and Shego, who were busy talking to some of their guests, looked towards the dance floor as the room grew silent. "This song goes out to 'Junior' from her Nanas."

Shego's eyes widened in incredulity, and as the first few strains of the song came over the sound system, she smiled and to Kim's surprise, she blushed. "Come on, Princess," she said, grabbing Kim's hand. "We have to dance to this one."

They made it to the dance floor and began to sway to the slow song, and as they danced, the song picked up, as did their rhythm. When the song slowed down again, other couples joined them, among them, both attending sets of Mim and Sheila. As the non-living set twirled, they spared a glance at the living set, finding them with wide smiles on their faces, the both them obviously enjoying the moment very much. "You know, Lil, I do believe I have discovered why we loved this song so much from the very moment we heard it," Mim said wryly.

Sheila looked over at their living counterparts. "You may be right," she agreed with a grin.

The song ended, and presently the two spirits found themselves confronted by two brides. "You didn't forget, did you?" Shego accused the grinning ghosts.

"She forgets little; you know that, Junior," Sheila reminded her.

"And I never fail to keep a promise," Mim added.

Shego sighed, and Kim spoke up. "Could someone please tell me what is going on here?" she asked politely.

" Well, to make this story its simplest, that song by the Carpenters was one of Junior's favorites as a child; in fact, it was the one song that was guaranteed to make her go to sleep when it was naptime," Mim explained, and Kim grinned at Shego at that little bit of information. Shego sighed again and Mim continued. "But, as Junior grew older, there were some other children who teased her for her musical preferences and she grew embarrassed about it. We told her that if she was foolish enough to pay attention to what those kids were saying, then when she got older, we would embarrass her even more by playing the song at her wedding."

"And I was stupid enough to believe that they wouldn't be here for it," Shego finished, before growing smug. "But I get the last laugh anyway. As an adult, I've grown to appreciate the Carpenters again."

"So is that why you blushed when the song came on?" Kim asked innocently, and the spirits chuckled.

"You are a lot of help, Princess," Shego said wryly.

"Yup, and that's why you married me," Kim replied cheerfully. Shego shook her head but kissed her anyway.

The party continued for a few more hours, but as it started creeping into early the next morning, it finally wound down, and it was time for the brides to be whisked away to their honeymoon. Before they left, they thanked everyone who was still there and said goodbye to four of their most special guests.

"Have a most wonderful time on your honeymoon, Junior," Mim ordered.

"And that goes for you as well, Mim-jay," Sheila added. "And do not worry about things here. We will be overseeing everything whilst you are away."

"Why am I suddenly worried?" Shego asked wryly, and the spirits gave her a look before they disappeared.

"As they said, you two have a most magnificent time on your travels," Mim said Sheila nodded her assent.

"We will, if you promise to go back to the jungle to get us," Kim joked.

"That is our next destination after we change," Sheila promised.

There were hugs all around, and then Mim and Sheila went to join the guests that were lining the path to the limousine. Kim and Shego started down the path and all of their guests threw birdseed and rice at them. They got in and waved goodbye to everyone as the limo pulled away.

"Well, I guess that is that," Mim said wistfully. "Should be retire back to the hotel, maybe get a few hours' sleep and rejoin them?"

"That sounds excellent," Sheila replied, and they went to find Monique to see if she could arrange transportation.

She was able to, and they gratefully collapsed into bed after they had removed all of their clothing. They woke up later in the morning, packed all of their wedding finery up carefully and left it at the front desk for Monique to pick up. Once outside of the hotel, Mim activated the Tempus Simia and they walked through the red vortex.


	10. Too Much Monkey Business

Chapter 10 – Too Much Monkey Business

The Middleton Mansion – About two days after the wedding

Lord Monty Fisk, better known to the criminal underworld and law enforcement as Monkey Fist, crept around the hedges that lined the backyard of the Middleton Mansion. His eyes widened when he saw the size of the backyard, but knowing that no one was at home, he and his monkey minions continued their slinking until they came to the darkened back door. He kicked the door in with a well-placed strike and listened intently for any kind of burglar alarm. When only silence remained, he smiled smugly and the group entered.

"Stupid conceited women," he thought to himself as they made their way through the kitchen. Only the insufferably prideful combination of Kim and Shego would leave a house full of antiquities and valuables with no kind of security system. They probably thought their names alone would be enough to deter any thefts. It was really too bad then that every criminal in the world knew that they were on their honeymoon, Monkey Fist thought haughtily. Every petty thief and criminal mastermind knew that they were miles away, and, courtesy of Gemini, everyone knew that they had managed to find the elusive Tempus Simia, the artifact that Monkey Fist had been searching for his entire adult life. "Now we see if they were foolish enough to leave it in the house," Monkey Fist decided as he stepped over a lumpy rug that separated the kitchen from the living room and sent his monkey ninjas on a search for the idol.

The "rug" raised an eyebrow as the strange man started to look around the living room. Anna took a sniff, and her nose wrinkled. Whoever it was reeked of monkey, and no one that was supposed to be in the house smelled like that. She growled, bared her teeth and rose, preparing to pounce on the intruder.

Monkey Fist whipped around, startled by the presence of something else living in the living room. He saw the gleaming teeth and he backed up, calling out to some of his henchmen to subdue the cat. Anna ripped through the first ones with ease, and Monkey Fist called for more. Anna continued to fight, but soon she was overpowered and the monkey ninjas bound her legs and mouth to prevent any further attacks. Seeing her subdued, he laughed mockingly. "Really? You were the best security that they could leave?" he scoffed. A screech caught his attention and his conceited smile got wider as one of his monkeys came in clutching the Tempus Simia. The ninja handed it over, and with his prize in hand, Monkey Fist turned to leave. He paused as he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Pardon us, good sir," a feminine voice said behind him. "But that artifact is not to leave the property."

Monkey Fist froze as he realized that voice sounded exactly like Kim's. He slowly rotated back around, and his mouth dropped open as he saw that there was not only Kim, but also Shego standing there. It fell a little bit further when he realized that they weren't standing but floating and that he could see right through them.

Mim and Sheila looked at one another with nascent grins, and their amusement grew when the monkey-resembling intruder stayed like that for at least a full minute. Finally, Sheila could not resist being wicked, so she floated over to him and came within an inch of his face. "Boo," she said wryly. Monkey Fist yelled, threw the Tempus Simia skyward and ran back through the kitchen out to the backyard, his monkey ninjas trailing him and screeching all the way.

Mim looked up as the idol started to fall to earth and she reached out her hands to catch it. She was too far away, though, and it slipped through her ghostly grasp. Sheila was a little closer and she also made a grab for it, but she was not as adept at becoming solid as Mim was and she could not conjure enough energy in time to make her hands a barrier. The Tempus Simia fell right through them and connected with the floor, smashing into thousands of pieces.

KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK

The Tempus Simia chucked as he felt his body hit the ground and break into unrecognizable chunks. It had happened before, in times and at times infinitesimal, but every time the rush of being liberated from his stone prison caused him to laugh. The temporal energy of his being started to diffuse throughout the eons and he enjoyed the sensation of being free. Knowing he had little time before the rules that must be followed caused his body to reform, he sent himself throughout time, looking at what his latest adventure with his sister's liberators had done to the time stream.

He smiled with pride when he brushed past ancient Rome. As they had done every time that Providence had brought them here, Red and Green had not only averted the civil war, but had also ensured that Caecelius would never realize her father's madness and kill Ronnicus in a fit of jealous rage, causing her estrangement from Minerva from the rest of her days. Her interactions with Green would temper Caecelius' impetuous nature, and Ronnicus would escape with his life, allowing the three of them to live out their days in peace.

He continued to travel and hesitated briefly in the 17th century, chuckling as in Middleton he spied a sleepy Daniel Director rise from his bed to collect his newborn son and daughter from their cradle. Even before this time loop had been set into motion by Providence, these children had existed, and from them Pink's mother and thus Pink herself had descended. But now, their grandfather would not be hung for murdering Christian Rockwaller, their young aunt would survive to marry a dashing young man with the last name of Renton, and they themselves would not be the product of an adulterous affair that would shame their families for generations. It was a much preferred outcome, and Providence had been kind to arrange the alternate future.

Providence had been kind in a lot of ways, he mused as he grew closer to his final destination. 'Twas Providence that had caused Red, Black, Green and Pink all to be looking for him at the same time and Providence that allowed events to unfold such that the four of them actually knew each other and should be seeking him. In all other realities, some vital piece was missing, and either they did not come after him or someone else found and broke him. It was only in this reality that Providence had been kind enough to allow all of the circumstances that permitted him to be found by those that needed to find him. And because they had found him once, they would always find him, no matter how many times he traveled this circuitous path, and he could direct their path through his kingdom. He could not interfere, only direct, but these ladies were uniquely gifted to change things so that all could happen as it should, and so, in this one reality alone, his once-rebellious sister had been set free.

It was true that she had rebelled against Mother and Father and taken to Earth those who agreed with her, and it was true that she had been well and truly defeated. As such, Father had banished her to Earth to guard that which she had created and could not be destroyed, and in most realities she was forced to guard it for all time, or she was forced to sacrifice herself to protect the Creation that she had endangered. But there was one reality where her creation had been rendered harmless and she had been allowed to come home. Father had fumed that His will had been circumvented, but it had all been the will of Providence and that was why Mother had sent Red and Black back to Earth to complete their altered destiny against Father's protestations. Providence, of all the forces in the world, was the only one allowed to change destiny, and through one of its whims, it had allowed for his sister's destiny to be changed. All he had to do was be there. So that was the place he was returning to, the place that he always returned to after he was broken, the place where he existed in two times, so that all that had to happen was two different grasping touches on his head and on his body.

As he prepared himself to be whole again, he heard a gentle admonition, and upon hearing his Mother's voice, he realized there was one thing left to do. He sent one last ripple through time and smiled as he settled himself back on his podium in his temple.

Southern Guiana, Nineteen-Hundred and Six

Mim blinked and shook her head as the faintest wisps of something passed over and then dissipated into nothingness. She glanced around, taking in the jungle flora as she tried to remember where in Heaven's name she was. She turned to the woman standing beside her. "I know this is a ridiculous question, Lil, but where are we?" she asked in puzzlement. "Are we still in Africa?"

"…No," Sheila said slowly, sure of at least that. She had no idea what had just come over her, but apparently it had affected Mim as well. "We are in South America." Her brow contracted. "More specifically, I think we are in Guiana," she ventured.

"Guiana?" Mim questioned. "But how did we manage to get here already? The last thing I remember is finding the Temple of Tempus Simia."

"We decided to leave," Sheila remembered, some memories coming back as others remained hazy. "Something happened and we had to abandon the temple in order ensure that we would be able to thwart Lipsky in his attempt to steal the amulet of power."

"We did?" Mim asked, perplexed. "I remember nothing of that."

"You were out of sorts for most of the trip, almost as though you were not yourself," Sheila offered, knowing the statement was true, but also knowing there was something else odd that remained just beyond memory's grasp. "But there was something else, I am sure of it."

"Hm," Mim commented, before picking up on something. "You are having trouble recalling things as well?" she asked.

"Very much so," Sheila confirmed.

"That is some comfort, I suppose," Mim admitted sardonically. "But I still feel as though there is something wrong. I am convinced that we found the Tempus Simia." She unslung the bag from her shoulder and rummaged through it, only coming up with the map. "Damn," she swore softly, drawing the map out and seeing only empty satchel.

Sheila was mildly taken aback. "I have never once heard you utter even a mild curse," she said, amusedly shocked.

"It just slipped out," Mim replied, a little shocked herself. "And amazingly, I am not that embarrassed," she continued after a moment's reflection. "It is as though I have become used to cursing, like someone I was around did it often."

"We did get passage on two separate naval vessels," Sheila replied.

"Perhaps," Mim said noncommittally, and Sheila frowned. There was a melancholy around Mim that she never saw and it worried her. "I am sorry, Lil," Mim apologized, seeing the look of concern. "I wager I am still out of sorts. I know there are things I am forgetting and yet all I can conjure from my memory are these vague feelings."

"It is quite all right, my love," Sheila soothed, embracing her. "Something has come over me as well. Perhaps it is the temple," she offered, indicating the colorful building visible through the bushes in front of them.

"Perhaps," Mim said a second time, the frustration welling up. She briefly rested her head on Sheila's shoulder before she roused herself. "Well, we know that Lipsky is here," she said, her spirit returning. "Shall we go thwart him?"

"I think that is a capital idea," Sheila agreed.

Mim nodded and opened her satchel to replace the map to the Tempus Simia. "Perhaps one day we can return to Africa to find the idol," she said as she closed the flap.

"Perhaps, but maybe we should give the map to someone else," Sheila said, as she started to push through the bushes into the clearing. "They may have more success than we did."

Mim thought about that and one of those strange echoes of a memory passed by. "I think that is an even more smashing idea," she agreed, as a smile spread unbidden across her features. She put up her left hand to move the bushes out of her way when she noticed a very peculiar looking wristwatch on her wrist. She opened her mouth to comment to Sheila, but before she could, Sheila spotted Lipsky and the chase began. Mim smiled. It was not that important now, she decided as she took off after Lipsky as well. If Sheila did not remember it, she would give it to Wayne to puzzle over.

The Middleton Mansion – About two days after the wedding

The world reverberated around her and Mim turned herself upright slowly as she tried to gather herself. She looked at her hands, looking through them to the debris on the polished wood floor of the hallway and her eyes widened as she realized that was all that remained of the Tempus Simia. "Oh, no," she breathed. She bent down to examine it further, but was distracted by a mumbled complaint from her horizontally-floating wife. "Lil, are you well?" she asked.

"I believe I am fine," Sheila said, trying to clear her head. "But in the world was that?"

"I do not know," Mim replied, and then looked at what lay on the floor. "Perhaps something happened when the Tempus Simia broke?" she hypothesized.

"I wager that sounds reasonable," Sheila said. She turned herself upright. "Perhaps we should clean?" she said, noting the dead monkey ninja parts and blood that were strewn about.

Mim grimaced at the mess. "Indeed," she agreed. "I will go get the mop and waste bin."

"And I will set the cat free," Sheila answered. Mim nodded and floated into the kitchen, emerging after a few moments with the cleaning supplies. She gingerly began to pick up simian limbs and put them into the wastebasket as Sheila started to work on the knots in Anna's ropes. They worked efficiently, and soon the hallway was tidied up to Kim's exacting standards. "What should we do with this?" Sheila asked, indicating the pile of Tempus Simia rubble that Mim had just swept into the dustpan.

"Well, if the pieces were larger then I would say we should try to put him back together," Mim responded. "But he has been reduced to pebbles." She smiled as a thought occurred to her. "It appears that it will take more than his ears to repair him this time," she said wryly.

Sheila chuckled. "Indeed it will," she concurred.

"Junior was ever so upset when that missing detail caused all of our misadventures," Mim recalled in amusement.

"Well at least you had adventures," Sheila countered. "All Mim-jay and I managed were ocean voyages, searches for undergarments and an expired Lipsky."

"True," Mim conceded with a grin, before the smile slowly faded as she realized what they were doing. "What exactly are we reminiscing about, Lil?" she asked pointedly.

"When you and Mim-jay inadvertently switched time periods due to the Tempus Simia," Sheila said unconcernedly. Mim gave her a look and after a moment's pause, Sheila realized why it should be a concern. "Oh," she stated.

"Well that does rather explain our presence at their wedding," Mim decided. She and Sheila looked at one another and then at the indiscernible fragments still in the dustpan, and as they watched, the pieces turned to dust and blew away.

Epilogue – August 2010

Shego stared at the big purple box that had appeared on the kitchen table. It hadn't been there five seconds ago when she had let Chula out to play, and yet, when she turned around, here it was. "Princess?" she hollered in the general direction of her wife. "Did you put a big purple box on the kitchen table?"

"Uh, no," Kim yelled back, coming in from the living room to confirm the "big purple box" inquiry and seeing it on the table for herself.

"I don't like this," Shego declared, and lit up to dispose of it.

"What if it's a bomb, Shego?" Kim asked reasonably. "Won't you set it off?"

"I'll be careful," Shego promised. She approached the box cautiously with her lit hand, but much to her surprise, when she came near the package, it absorbed her plasma and remained unchanged.

"Well that's interesting," Kim said, her curiosity piqued. She got a little closer and reached out a hand to touch it.

"And yet I wasn't supposed to touch it," Shego observed. Kim shot her a look and Shego shrugged. "You are the one with history of touching things you are not supposed to," she pointed out.

"You mean like you?" Kim retorted good-naturedly before turning back to the package and stretched her hand out. Nothing happened when she touched it, so she moved a little closer, her hand still on the lid. Still nothing happened, so Kim tentatively opened it up. There was no explosion, so Kim peered in. Her brow wrinkled when she saw what lay within and she reached down to draw out a small green box, a small pink box and a scroll. She set them on the table and looked at Shego. "Any guesses?" she asked.

"Nana Mim and Nana Sheila," Shego guessed.

"That was my thought," Kim agreed.

"Then we should probably read the scroll first," Shego stated, knowing how their pointy little minds worked.

Kim nodded and unfurled it. "Dearest Green and Pink," she read.

"Whoa," Shego interrupted. "That doesn't sound like Nana Mim and Nana Sheila."

"No, it doesn't," Kim concurred. She paused for a second to look the scroll over before she continued. "As the first cycle has passed since our first meeting, it is now time for me to express my undying gratitude for the liberation that you have bestowed on me, and because through your actions you restored me to my family, I have decided to give you one of your own. Within the two smaller boxes lie the means to give you children; you merely have to have the courage to open them. I do caution you, though; I would not recommend opening both of them simultaneously. Be you well. Your Devoted Friend, Barney." Kim looked up, and Shego, who had picked up the green package, dropped it like it had suddenly become red-hot.

Kim chuckled. "It does say that you have to open it, sweetie," she said.

"If this thing can give us kids, I am not taking any chances," Shego countered.

"Would kids be so bad?" Kim asked, a little disquieted.

"Well, one of ours took over the world," Shego reminded her.

"But we weren't around to bring her up," Kim countered.

"You were; you were just dead," Shego replied.

"And is that supposed to help or hurt your argument?" Kim asked.

Shego thought. "I'm not sure," she admitted, and Kim laughed. Shego grinned wryly, acknowledging her teasing, before glancing thoughtfully at the packages still on the table. "Do you think we are ready for kids?" she asked.

"No," Kim said promptly but pleasantly, surprising Shego. "But I don't think anyone is ever ready for kids. I do think that with the way we are, the way our relationship is and the place we are in life, we could give it a try."

"But that's the thing with kids. There is no try; there is only do," Shego argued.

"Thank you, Yoda," Kim replied, the smile never leaving her face.

Shego rolled her eyes and took in Kim's demeanor. "You want to open one," she declared suspiciously.

"Yup," Kim confirmed.

Shego sighed and looked at them. "Damn it; I do, too," she admitted quietly. "You were supposed to talk me out of it."

Kim beamed. "Really?" she said in happy disbelief, grabbing Shego and kissing her.

"Well, yeah," Shego replied after they parted. "I was kind of thinking of asking you about it anyway, and this just kind of sped up the time table. So which one do we open?"

"I assume the green one is for you and the pink one is for me," Kim reasoned. "But I have no idea what is going to happen when we open one."

"Eh, screw it; I'll open mine," Shego said decisively, letting go of Kim to grab the small green package. She took a deep breath and opened it, and sighed when it revealed another box. "Very funny, Barney," she muttered. She looked at it and noticed that there was an obvious lid, so she took it off to reveal an exact copy of the amulets that she and Kim wore, only baby-sized. She pulled it out and showed it to Kim.

"That's it?" Kim asked.

"Looks that way," Shego replied.

"Oookay. Now what?" Kim inquired.

Shego shrugged. "Dunno," she said. "Does the scroll say anything else?"

Kim shook her head. "Nope. What I read before was it," she confirmed.

"Shit," Shego swore, and Kim gave her a sharp look. "What? We don't have a kid yet," Shego grumbled.

"No, but we are both going to have to watch it," Kim declared.

Shego chuckled. "You, Princess?" she cackled. "In spite of what you think, 'bullcrap' is not actually swearing."

Kim pursed her lips. "I was trying to be inclusive," she said primly.

Shego chuckled again. "Very diplomatic of you," she teased. Kim harrumphed, and Shego gathered her up. Kim melted into her, and looked up.

"So now what, Junior?" she asked.

"We wait, I guess," Shego replied.

And wait they did, until a couple of months later, when a cavalcade of symptoms prompted Shego to purchase a home pregnancy test. She followed the instructions on the package and waited, and as Kim nervously paced outside, she heard a "Pink!" emanate from the bathroom.

"What? I'm here," she said popping her head in barely-contained tension.

"No, not Pink. Pink," Shego clarified, pointing to the home pregnancy stick in growing trepidation. "We're pregnant."

The End


End file.
